


Peace Begins With A Smile

by sagely_sea



Series: Symbols of Peace [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha Shiro (Voltron), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Canon-Typical Violence, Keith goes into heat but it's not the focus of the fic, Kuro & Shiro (Voltron) are Twins, Lotor is good, M/M, Magic-Users, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Minor Character Death, Omega Keith (Voltron), Slow Burn, court intrigue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-10-29 16:17:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 43,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17811281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sagely_sea/pseuds/sagely_sea
Summary: As the son of the new ambassador, Keith is sent to the capital city of Terra, Atlas. It’s his job to help ensure that the new peace treaty remains intact and that friendship between the two kingdoms grows.On the surface, Keith is a half Galran, half human omega who spends his mornings training to be a fire mage and his afternoons indulging the Terran alpha princes, Shiro and Kuro. Friendships between the two kingdoms are growing and the plans for the large peace ball to celebrate the end of the war between Altea, Galra and Terra are well underway.But everything isn't as it seems. One wrong move and the peace will shatter.





	1. You're a what?!

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the 2019 Sheithlentines exchange for Aurora who said they like AUs and their guilty pleasure was ABO. I hope you enjoy it, Aurora!

“Your Royal Highnesses, I present to you our new ambassador from the Galra Empire, Kolivan, and his retinue,” The advisor said to the two princes on top of the dais. 

Shiro nodded and then stood as the ambassador and those with him finished their bows. 

“Welcome to Terra and its shining capital, Atlas,” Shiro said in greeting. “We hope that your journey from Daibazaal was a smooth one.” 

“It was, Your Highness. And I’m honoured to be here and work toward bettering our new friendship,” Kolivan said, his voice even and smooth. 

Clearly, he was comfortable with his role as a diplomat. Shiro had tried to keep up on the relevant information of who was at court and the prominent players in Galra during the war but Kolivan was a name that started popping up in reports to him only once the coup was underway. He was clearly one of Lotor’s men who helped the emperor secure the throne and Shiro took it as a token of faith from Lotor to send someone he trusted to Terra. 

“And we are just as honoured to have you. We’ve planned a welcome dinner and dance in honour of our growing friendship for tomorrow.” Shiro hated talking in such diplomatic and often hollow sounding ways. But as the crown prince, it was up to him to make sure that the Galra were properly welcomed to the court. He would not jeopardize the peace treaty just because he found certain things about greeting ambassadors tedious and unpleasing. 

“Thank you, Your Highness. Emperor Lotor will be most pleased to hear we are being so well received and taken care of,” Kolivan said and gave a small bow to show his gratitude. It was then that Shiro noticed the small almost human looking young man among the Galra retinue. Odd. 

“May we inquire as to who else is in your party, Ambassador Kolivan?” Kuro, Shiro’s twin asked. Obviously,his brother had also spotted the young man. He gave Kuro a nod of acknowledgement as he moved to stand beside him before looking back at the party of Galra in front of him. 

Kolivan went through the usual list of people one would expect to travel with him. There were advisors, secretaries, several other staff members, and an extremely tall Galran who was introduced as a manservant but Shiro immediately suspected was also a bodyguard. Finally, he turned behind him and gestured the small man forward and placed a large hand on his shoulder. “And last, I’d like to introduce to you my son, Keith.” 

“Son?!” Kuro said before he could obviously think to check himself. Though as only the prince and not the crown prince, he did have more leeway in what he could get away with when it came to proper decorum. And Shiro really couldn’t reprimand him because he was thinking the same thing. “But he looks human.” 

The young man apparently didn’t appreciate the question as he became tense under Kolivan’s hand and a frown turned down his lips. Shiro thought his fiery glare was much more charming than the look of boredom he was giving before. It was too bad they were too far apart for him to make out just what colour those eyes glaring at his brother were. 

“He’s my step-son. His mother did me the honour of becoming my mate after Keith’s Terran father passed away. Unfortunately, she is drawn away on other business for the empire. But we all agreed the chance to learn more about his other homeland was not one to be overlooked.”

So the young man was half Terran? That was intriguing. And the closer Shiro looked, the more he could see of the Galra in him. His skin, which at first looked white, was actually a pale lavender and his ears were certainly more pointed than a human’s. Any other features would require being closer to spot and that was too far over the line of proper etiquette at the moment for even Kuro to risk. 

“We’re sorry for your loss, Keith. Hopefully, while you’re here you can learn more about your father’s people. Tell me, did your father have the gift?” Shiro asked. 

Terra was famous for its magic users even if only about every one in three citizens had any magical skill that could be used beyond menial tasks these days. And everyone who showed such skill was expected to receive mandated training and pass qualifying tests. Mages who did not learn control were as much of a risk to themselves as others. And one of Shiro’s ancestors thankfully believed in educating all mages on the basics of their powers for free. 

Keith looked up at Kolivan who gave a slight nod, obviously encouraging the young man to talk. “He did. He was a fire mage… Your Highness,” Keith said. The honorific added on as Kolivan clearly squeezed his shoulder. 

Shiro wondered if it was being in the centre of a strange court, finding himself talking about his father, or perhaps something else entirely that made Keith uncomfortable. It certainly wasn’t his intention to upset the young man, he merely wanted to know more about his Terran heritage. 

“An elemental mage? That’s impressive. And did he pass his gift on to you?” Kuro asked. 

“He did… Your Highness,” he said. The delay this time a little less noticeable but still there. Perhaps Keith was just new to court and hadn’t yet finished all of his training and polish courtiers had drilled into them. 

“We actually hoped to request permission for him to receive training in fire magic while he’s here. We’ve had allied mages teach him what they can but we would like his control and skills refined,” Kolivan said. And Shiro imagined that asking for control to be refined was the politest way that request could be made. Elemental magic could be quite the handful.

“That shouldn’t be a problem. All mages in Terra are required to be licenced by going through a training program. I believe a new group is starting in the next week or so, right?” He aimed that last part at his advisor who flipped a couple pages in his book and then nodded. “Excellent. We’ll register Keith into the class. It will certainly keep you busy,” Shiro said, giving Keith what he hoped was a friendly smile. 

“Thank you, Your Highness. The offer is most kind and beyond what we had hoped for. Especially since his mother and I find that if he’s kept busy, he has less time for trouble to find him,” Kolivan said. Keith tossed him the pouty and annoyed look that seemed to be universal to any child being embarrassed by a parent.

Shiro and his brother couldn’t help the smile or light chuckle they shared. They were certainly experts at having trouble find them… or in most cases, finding trouble. “We’ll be sure to keep him plenty busy,” Shiro said. And realized only after he said it that it could sound much more flirtatious or dubious than it was. 

Fortunately, Kolivan and Keith either didn’t pick up on it or were far too polite to say anything. 

“But for now, you would probably like to be shown to your rooms and refresh yourselves. I’ve assigned some staff to you to show you around and help you with anything you need. But if I’ve overlooked something and the servants can’t help you, send a message to Lord Holt and he’ll see to it,” Shiro said. 

Kolivan said his thank yous and he and his retinue gave more bows before turning and leaving the main reception hall. 

“Well, that was interesting,” Kuro said. 

“Was it?” Shiro asked. He felt the same way but he wanted to know why his twin did. 

“The big guy is definitely not a butler. But we can’t blame the ambassador for wanting a bit of protection. The peace treaty is still new. I’d do the same in his place.” Kuro gave a pause. So while the tall man, Antok, was intriguing it was not what had his brother interested. 

“And?” 

“Keith of course. A half Galran, half Terran, fire mage? That’s a pretty unique mix. And he’s quite handsome. Do you think he’s a beta? They sometimes will agree to partner with an alpha if the courting is done well enough,” Kuro said. 

Shiro frowned. “You want to court him?” 

“Maybe? I’d have to get to know him more first.” 

That was a fair assessment. Not only would Shiro like to get to know more of Keith’s thoughts and personality he was also just as curious as his brother to know just where in the spectrum Keith fell. He seemed too small to be an alpha and too fierce to be an omega. But not everyone fell so cleanly into the stereotypical roles. And add in the fact that he was half Galran and it made things more complicated. 

“I wouldn’t mind getting to know him more either,” Shiro mused mostly to himself but loud enough for his brother to hear. 

It was too bad that he and his brother were so alike at times. They did have different interests and tastes but they overlapped so much that it wasn’t the first person to have caught both of their attentions at the same time. 

“Before we start laying down ground rules for each other on how we’re allowed to court him, you do realize we’re going to have to ask the big guy for permission to do anything more than dance with him at the upcoming party, right?” Kuro said. 

They both looked back at the entrance on the far side of the room where Kolivan and his group were just exiting and then shared mirrored frowns with each other. “Perhaps we should both keep our eyes and hands to ourselves,” Shiro said.

Kuro laughed and shook his head. “Where’s the fun in that. Besides, Keith could be a complete bore to talk to and a snobby alpha. Let’s not worry about anything until the dinner party,” Kuro said. 

Shiro was still feeling reluctant but finally agreed with his twin. Just because they both found Keith nice to look at and intriguing didn’t mean that anything would come from it. There was no point inviting trouble to find them any faster than it usually did. 

“Alright. But until then, you’re going to sit there and help me with rest of the meetings today,” Shiro said gesturing to the throne beside his own. They were equal in height and decoration, Shiro’s was just centred on the dais with Kuro’s to his right. 

“Fine. But if I have to hear another story about how two chicken farmers can’t solve their own quarrels, I’m shocking you until you’re staticky for days and your hair is a mess.”

Shiro just laughed as he took a seat and gestured for his advisor to call forth the next person seeking the princes’ counsel. 

-0-0-0-0-0-

 

Keith had ignored the outfit laid out for him, most likely by Antok, and tugged on one of his other fine breeches and a long tailored jacket. There was still enough sparkling ribbons, brocade, and ridiculous stitched detail to be acceptable for the welcome party. He was just debating what to do with his hair when there was a knock on his door. 

“Kolivan? Is something wrong?” He asked as he opened the door. He was sure there was still plenty of time before they were expected to be at the party. He had purposefully started getting ready early just so he wouldn’t risk causing Kolivan to be late. 

“No. I just came to make sure you were ready for to-what are you wearing?” Kolivan asked as Keith opened the door wide to allow him into the room. 

Keith frowned and crossed his arms. He knew his outfit choice was going to cause troubles since he hadn’t taken the hint and gone with the one on his bed. 

“No, kit. I let you get away with a lot. But this is a formal party and as the guests of honour we are expected to set a good example. We all need to denote our designation through dress,” Kolivan said. 

Keith hated when Kolivan was practical. But not nearly as much as he hated old traditions. Though Keith supposed he should be thankful that he was no longer required to wear a dress like in ancient ones. “Why? Anyone within a few feet of me can figure it out,” Keith said. 

“It’s because scenting people so indiscreetly in public is rude. You know this. And you certainly complain loudly enough whenever someone tries to scent you without consent. Come now, you didn’t win this argument for the emperor’s coronation and you won’t win it now. It’s not as if any of us ask you to dress this way outside of formal functions,” Kolivan said. Again the voice of reason. 

“It’s just so ridiculous. And all it does is encourage the perverts.” Still, even as he complained he started undoing the long jacket he was wearing. He could argue all he wanted but he knew the look on Kolivan’s face and he knew he wasn’t going to win this battle. 

“Then you know which alphas to stay away from. We haven’t finished compiling intel on everyone in the court here in Atlas so this could help us more quickly assess which alphas are of dubious nature,” Kolivan said. 

Now Kolivan was really putting the pressure on. It was one thing to talk about tradition and expectations but it was another to hint that Keith could use his nature to help with information gathering. “Fine. But don’t think I won’t punch one of the princes if they try anything,” He said as he continued to tug off his clothes. 

“None of the reports we’ve ever received on them suggests that they hold anything but respect for omegas. Though they are nobility. And nobles, royalty especially, do often think they can seduce anyone they want… but if you’re firm with your refusal they should respect it.” 

“And if they aren’t?” Keith asked. He’d seen all of the reports about the twins but that didn’t mean they’d be on their best behaviour tonight. 

“Then I’ll apologize to the emperor for ruining the tenuous peace between the empire and the Terran kingdom.” 

Since Kolivan rarely told jokes, Keith could only grin at the words. “Okay. But I get to be there when you do.” 

“Of course. Now, do you need help with your hair?” Kolivan asked. He turned toward Keith’s mirrored table that held his accessories and started gently looking through the jewellery box there. 

Keith knew it was partially to help pick out things but also to give Keith privacy while he finished changing. “I was thinking a couple of braids held back with the emerald ribbon,” Keith said.

“Hmm you should wear the hair pieces that the emperor gifted you.” Kolivan pulled the pieces out, one was little clusters of sapphires and diamonds linked with silver chains that could be laid over his hair or tied into it depending on his style. And the other was a hairpin that was also covered in sapphires and diamonds, this time in the design of Lotor’s personal symbol. 

“Both of them?” Keith asked as he tied the floaty and layered half skirt around his waist over a tight pair of breeches. 

“It shows that you are a valued omega of the royal household.” 

“Yeah. But I’m not part of his house.”

“You are my son. And as the ambassador to Terra, I represent him at this court and I speak on his behalf. I’m considered an extension of him and therefore, so are you,” Kolivan said. 

Keith still thought it was a little silly but as he moved closer to Kolivan, slipping on the short overly fancy jacket that stopped just above his waist, he noticed that Kolivan was wearing a large brooch with Lotor’s crest on it. 

Still… he really didn’t enjoy being dressed up and shown off as some other omegas did. “Are you sure you don’t want the princes to think you’re marrying me off to Lotor?” 

“I have no plans to marry you off to anyone unless it’s something you want and your suitor meets your mother’s and my approval.” 

“Ah,I guess I’m going to die a virgin then,” Keith said, teasing Kolivan a little since it was no secret just how protective his parents were of him even when he was perfectly capable of looking after himself. “Though an emperor would probably past the test.” 

“Again, only if you were willing. If you weren’t, I’d retire from court and we could settle in the countryside and look into farming,” Kolivan said. Keith gave him a look of disbelief. There was no reality in which he could imagine Kolivan and his mother as farmers. “Well, we’d at least leave the court. Perhaps go travelling.” 

That sounded more likely. Though Keith didn’t think it would be an issue. He couldn’t imagine Lotor going over his head and insisting that Keith be wed to him. Lotor wasn’t like that and their relationship wasn’t like that either. 

Keith looked at the jewelled pieces laid out for him and suppressed a sigh as he sat down at the stool in front of his mirror and started brushing his hair. 

“Unless of course you are looking to tie yourself to the emperor and that’s why you keep bringing it up,” Kolivan said. He gently took the brush from Keith’s hand and took over fixing his hair.

“What?” Keith had no idea what Kolivan was on about. 

“You two are close and the gifts he’s given you is beyond what could be considered normal for an ambassador’s son, even one who is also a friend.” 

“It’s not like that.” Keith had met Lotor five years ago and was with him during that phase when he transitioned from a moody young teenager who thought he knew everything to a less moody young adult who accepted that there were times when he did not know everything. 

For five years he had worked and trained with Lotor as the Blades of Marmora and Lotor’s army worked together to execute a perfect coup d'etat and remove Zarkon from the head of the Empire. 

“If it is like that, I’d prefer you to keep it to yourself until your mother is here to handle it. She’s much better at these things than I am,” Kolivan said, fingers starting to deftly braid stands of his hair. 

Keith chuckled at that. “No, she isn’t. You guys had an epic spar trying to decide who was going to give me the sex talk. And then you just ordered Ulaz to do it.” And it wasn’t like he’d needed that much of a talk by then anyway. There wasn’t a lot you didn’t know about when you were raised in the middle of a spy and assassin group. People were pretty open with their affections and sexual behaviours when tomorrow was never a guarantee and they all lived together when not on missions. 

“When you have kits of your own one day, you’ll understand the desire to not want to talk about sex and mates with them,” Kolivan said. 

Even over a decade later, it still warmed Keith’s heart to hear Kolivan so easily refer to himself as Keith’s parent or Keith as his kit. Not that he always appreciated the coddling, he did have a moody teenager phase, but he always liked Kolivan being part of his family. 

“Well, we don’t have to worry about that for a while yet. Lotor’s just a friend.” 

“And yet you call him Lotor with no titles and he gifts you fancy jewellery and a new wardrobe” 

“He gifted you a bunch of things, too. It’s reasonable to make sure the ambassador and his family represent him well. And we’ve known each other ages. Why would I call him emperor?” He would in public but in private it just made him laugh every time he tried to be suitably courteous to Lotor. It made Lotor laugh too, or suspect that Keith was buttering him up and was up to something. In private, Lotor was just Lotor. 

“If you insist. He is a thoughtful alpha though,” Kolivan said as he used the long hairpin to hold twisted stands of braid and hair in place. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Don’t think I didn’t notice that this hairpin would be an easy weapon in your hands, Keith. I trained you too well to not know what you can use as a weapon and how.” 

Oh.. well, it wasn’t exactly a secret it was just not an advertised fact. “Better safe than sorry.”

“And let me guess, the gems of the hairpiece can be broken off easily enough to be used as bribes or exchanged for safe passage if it comes to it?” 

Keith shrugged. Lotor and him may have discussed a few worse case scenarios. It didn’t mean he expected to use them. The chances of him needing to stab a prince to death and flee the country while bribing everyone he came across was pretty slim. 

“You and Lotor are both far too young to be nearly as subtle and clever as you think you are. But as long as you promise not to stab an alpha just for looking at you oddly, I’ll let you keep it.” 

Keith sighed. Sometimes it was annoying having the former leader of the Blades of Marmora as his father. “Shouldn’t you be going rusty in your retirement or something?” 

“I didn’t retire. I merely serve the Galra in a new way. Now promise me you won’t stab someone unless they truly deserve it,” Kolivan said. 

Keith sighed at that. It wasn’t like he planned on stabbing anyone at the party. “No stabbing people,” He agreed.

“Not even the princes. I suspect one or both of them will ask you for a dance. As my son, it would be expected diplomatically. They should both be well trained in keeping their instincts under control so you shouldn’t have trouble with them.” 

Kolivan was pinning the rest of his braids and hair into a fancy updo as he spoke and Keith watched him work in the mirror as he talked. 

“I guess my role for tonight is to be a good little omega?” It was a role that Keith really wasn’t all that good at even with instincts to rely on he tended to want to elbow any alpha who got too flirty. 

“I wouldn’t phrase it like that. But there are expectations on all of us to be seen as civilized and courteous. The people of Terra have spent decades hearing propaganda against us and watching soldiers go off to war and not come back. We’re here to remind them that we also want this peace and that we can be good friends.” 

Phrased like that, Keith really couldn’t complain about dancing with one or both of the princes. They were both pretty handsome. And he thought it was cute that they dressed up to match their nicknames. Maybe he could get them to tell him how they ended up with those names since those types of stories were normally amusing and helped to relax people. 

Keith thought he could figure out why the crown prince went by Shiro. Shirogane was the crown’s family name and with hair so silvery white, it made sense as a nickname. And Keith thought the white jacket he was wearing at the meeting yesterday was also quite striking on him. 

Just as striking as the black jacket looked on his twin, Ryou, or Kuro as most seemed to call him. Keith had to assume with how similar they looked that they had to have been identical twins at birth and something must have caused the hair colour differences between them. Ryou’s nickname origin was less obvious unless it was just in response to Shiro. Perhaps they were cute names they gave each other as children and everyone just continued to use them. 

Keith smiled a little thinking about it. He didn’t have any siblings so he always enjoyed watching siblings interact. Sometimes it made him thankful he didn’t have any brothers or sisters but normally he missed the chance to have in-jokes or a co-conspirator. Lotor was the closest he had and the emperor wasn’t quite the same as a big brother. 

“I’ll make sure to observe all the rules and etiquettes. But I’m not going to dance with other alphas.” He’d dance with the princes because it was expected. And maybe he’d let Kolivan talk him into a couple more if they were high enough ranking to be worth it but other than that, he planned on avoiding the dance floor. Just because he could dance, didn’t mean he liked to. 

“That’s acceptable. You could always find some nice betas or other omegas to dance with.”

Keith made a face. Betas were fine to dance with but another omega? If they were the pampered court omegas that only cared about finding a nice alpha and having their kids then Keith couldn’t imagine having anything to talk to them about as they danced. And when two omegas danced alphas seemed to think it was some sort of open invitation for comments. “Maybe the betas. If I danced with an omega, we’d just get surrounded by perverts.” 

Kolivan gave a low soft chuckle at that. “And again, you’d know right away what alphas to avoid.” Kolivan reached around Keith to pick up the jewellery for his hair and started the tedious process of getting it to all drape properly in his hair. 

“Yeah. But you also said no stabbing so that takes the fun out of things.” 

“No stabbing at the party. I know the emperor has set us both tasks. I just expect whatever one he gave you, that you’ll use discretion. I don’t want to walk over dead alphas just to get to breakfast in the morning.” 

Keith snorted. He wasn’t that bad. “Lotor didn’t send me here on some killing spree. And I do know how to be patient and not just resort to killing.” 

Kolivan didn’t look convinced but he thankfully didn’t say anything further about that. “Just let me know if you require my help. Antok would also be happy to assist you.”

“I know. But you two will be busy enough with your actual diplomatic work. Nobody is going to pay attention to some half-Galra spoiled son here to study magic.” 

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. But I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt,” Kolivan said. He laid his large hands on Keith’s shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze. “There. Now you look ready for your first party in Terra.”

Keith was distracted by trying to decipher just what Kolivan meant by implying that people would be paying attention to him by the warm familiar touch to his shoulders. He looked up at Kolivan through the mirror and then paused at himself. 

As a Galra, he was too small and delicate looking and with far too many human features. As a human, he didn’t fare much better, having far too many Galra traits when one looked close enough. He didn’t think he’d ever be seen as typically attractive to either race though perhaps there was beauty in the exotic as friends and family always told him he was quite handsome. But that’s what family and good friends were supposed to say and it was hard to believe them when they also called him cute. 

But as he looked at himself with his hair tied up and decorated and in his new fancy gold trimmed jacket, he thought the people in Atlas might find him handsome enough to be worthy of dancing with their strong alpha princes. 

“You did a good job. Thank you,” Keith said. He wouldn’t look half as good if he’d done it himself. 

“You’re welcome.” Kolivan bent down and carefully rested his chin against Keith’s head, a familiar move from when he’d crawl into Kolivan’s lap and insist on him reading a story or just because he wanted to be close to him. He’d had a bad case of hero worship when he was young. 

But the move was done not only show affection but also to give or receive comfort. Keith didn’t think he was that distressed about the prospect of a party and dancing to need it. 

“You’re not nervous, are you?” He asked. Maybe Kolivan had heard news of something that had him on edge. 

“No. Everything should go well tonight. I think I’m just feeling sentimental. Seeing you dressed like this, it just reminds me that you’re not a little kit anymore.” 

Oh… Keith thought he’d probably prefer having to keep an eye out for an assassination attempt. “Well it was bound to happen one day,” He said, hoping to keep things light. 

“True. But I wouldn’t mind it happening at a later one.” 

“Really? I’m pretty sure you and all of the other Blades were celebrating when I grew out of my surly teenager phase,” Keith said. 

“Hmmm that’s true. You were also quite the handful as a child. You were able to squeeze into everywhere you shouldn’t.” 

Keith laughed at that. He had certainly gotten into more than his fair share of mischief. It was no wonder he had so many honorary uncles. He needed that many just to try and stop him escaping into trouble. 

“Now, let’s see if everyone else is ready to head down.” Kolivan gave his shoulders one last squeeze before he stood and started to head out of the room. 

Keith stayed where he was and took a deep breath, pulling the comforting scent of Kolivan into him before standing. Maybe Kolivan was just being sentimental but now Keith wondered if Kolivan wasn’t silently warning other alphas to be careful by scent marking Keith a little. A smart alpha would tread carefully around an omega who had been marked by an alpha parent. It meant they were well loved and well looked after. A wrong move against the omega could bring the wrath of an undoubtedly older and more experienced alpha onto them. 

Keith shook his head fondly at Kolivan thinking he was anymore subtle than he and Lotor were and headed out of his room to face the others and the party. 

 

-0-0-0-0-

“Are you going to ask him to dance?” Kuro asked leaning slightly closer to him to make sure his words wouldn’t carry around the table at the head of the hall.

There was no need to ask who he was. The ambassador’s son had clearly been on both of their minds since being introduced and Shiro wasn’t sure if it was because he was a mystery or if he was as handsome as Shiro recalled with a glint of trouble in his eye. First impressions could often be misremembered after all, even if it had only been a day. 

“Maybe if he’s not an alpha. I don’t need to fight for dominance in a dance in front of an audience,” Shiro said just as quietly back. 

Kuro chuckled and gave Shiro’s shoulder a light slap. “So does that mean he’s all mine if he’s an alpha?” 

“It means let’s wait and see.” Shiro didn’t understand Kuro’s impatience with this. Neither of them knew Keith well enough to know if they’d want him for more than a night’s distraction, something they would not be able to do with the son of their new ambassador. Unless one or the both of them wanted to more seriously court Keith then there wasn’t anything to discuss between them. And there was no way for them to know if they did want to be serious until they got to know Keith more. 

When the herald at the door began announcing the arrival of the ambassador, Shiro stood and straightened his long and overly jewelled and lacey white coat and saw Kuro doing the same with his black one. Perhaps it was silly of them to play into their nicknames but Shiro also thought they both looked handsome in their respective colours and it was amusing to see people react to them in it. 

The Galra delegation entered and Shiro admitted to being impressed by both their stature and the finery of their clothes. The Galra clearly cleaned up well and hopefully, the air of wealth and class they exuded would resonate on some level with the nobles in his court and make it easier for them to accept the ambassador and his people. 

Shiro’s eyes scanned over the group for Keith but the other Galra dwarfed him and he couldn’t waste time searching him out when he had a duty to perform. 

“Greetings, Ambassador Kolivan. You and your people are most welcome in our capital and in our home. I hope this celebration is the first of many towards the growing bonds of friendship between our people,” Shiro said, his voice loud and clear to carry across the hall. 

“As do I, Your Highness. My people and I are all honoured at the generosity you have shown us.” Kolivan then gave a bow which the others in his group did as well. 

Shiro thought he saw Keith for a moment but everyone straightened and he lost sight of him again. It wasn’t until the group was being divided and shown to their different tables that he could finally see Keith. 

He was gorgeous. His hair was done up in intricate braids and draped with jewels and his coat was a dark purple with gold lace accents and sparkling with jewels. It was cropped short but Shiro didn’t mind taking in the view of how the tight dress shirt clung to his stomach before disappearing behind the large belt that circled his waist. And then there was the tantalizing flowing gossamer thin fabric that was draped around his hips in various layers and shifted and danced about him as he moved. 

Wait… that was part of the formal dress for omegas. The skirt was to emphasize an omega’s hips and make an alpha think of how well they could carry and birth children. And the short coat showed off the omega’s small and smooth stomach. Presumably to prove to interested alphas that they were not with child… or more likely, so the alpha could better picture how that stomach might grow when filled with their own seed.

Not that Shiro was thinking such things. He had his alpha instincts firmly under control. Even if the swaying fabric drew his eyes to Keith’s hips and how they seemed to sway and entrance with every step he took. 

His mouth opened to say something, though he had no idea what, when Kuro beat him to it. 

“You’re an omega?!” Kuro exclaimed loudly enough for not only those at the head table but those seated at the lower tables nearby to hear, too. 

Shiro fought back a groan. At least it was his brother and not him that had said something so stupid. 

“Do you think it would be possible for you to meet my son once without saying something rude, Prince Ryou?” Kolivan asked as his much smaller group stood in front of the table, the servant showing him their seats momentarily frozen and unsure of what to do next. 

Shiro dismissed the servant with a small wave and a smile and then placed a hand on Kuro’s shoulder and gave his brother a fond shake of his head before looking at Kolivan. 

“My apologies, Ambassador. The war was hard on all of us and especially hard on my brother’s decorum. He spent so much time with his horse, he forgets how to behave in front of polite company at times.” He would probably pay for that comment later in private but gentle brotherly teasing normally got them out of situations Kuro’s mouth got them into. 

“Perhaps Keith will allow me a chance to express my apologies and get to know him better by doing me the honour of accepting a dance?” Kuro asked with a smile. 

Keith looked over at his father who was stoically looking at the princes. Clearly, the ambassador had already expressed his expectations for the night and was just waiting for his son to go along with them. 

“It would be my pleasure to accept, Your Highness,” Keith said. Sounding like it was anything but his pleasure. 

“I look forward to it,” Kuro said and gave him a big smile that Keith didn’t return. 

But even with the hint that Keith didn’t like dancing or at least didn’t like dancing with alpha princes, Shiro still wanted to get his own dance in. “And perhaps I could steal a dance after. Just to make sure my brother didn’t scandalize you too much with his uncouth words,” Shiro said. 

“It takes more than a few uncouth words to upset me, sir,” Keith said. “So if you want to dance, you don’t need to hide behind flowery words and excuses.”

That was neither a yes nor a no. It was, however, a challenge. Just how did they raise omegas in Galra to be so sassy to not only an alpha but royalty? Though while it surprised him, it certainly didn’t anger him like he thought it would. He felt more amused by Keith’s feistiness than anything else. 

“Of course,” Shiro said. Ignoring the way the others nearby were staring at him when he didn’t say anything about the omegas words. “Would you do me the honour of accepting a dance?” 

“Are you a good dancer, Prince Shiro?” Keith asked, eyes sizing him up. 

Shiro wondered why he was being put through so much hassle when his brother had scored a dance so easily. Was Keith already interested in his brother over him?

“I’m not the best dancer. But I promise your feet will be safe while you’re in my hands,” Shiro said. He wouldn’t brag about skills he didn’t possess but he could at least guarantee Keith he wouldn’t tread on him. 

Keith glanced at his father again who was watching the exchange with a neutral expression, and then back to Shiro. There was a spark of something in Keith’s eyes, a challenge or maybe playfulness? Whatever it was, Shiro liked it, especially when directed at him. 

“And do you know any Galra dances, Your Highness?” 

Oh, that would certainly explain the look. They’d been at war nearly his whole life and it just wouldn’t be appropriate for the royal family to be seen doing a Galran dance. And while he really should have made time with the dance instructor to brush up on a couple of them, he just never seemed to have the time. 

“I’m afraid I don’t. Do they differ much from a Terran dance?” Shiro asked. He had a feeling that in the months since the tentative peace treaty was signed and ambassadors agreed upon, Kolivan and his retinue had been meticulously studying Terran culture.

“Not overly much. At least the ones suitable for the court. Perhaps you’d let me teach you one?” 

Shiro blinked. There was so much to that answer that his brain wasn’t quite sure where to start. Clearly, Keith was alluding to the dances done by the common folk. Which if they were anything like Terran ones tended to be a bit bawdier and inappropriate. Shiro thought he’d certainly enjoy learning those with Keith in his arms. 

And Keith was offering to teach him. Even if it was a more proper court dance. A lesson in public wasn’t exactly done at a royal function but Shiro decided to risk it. If Keith’s instructions proved to be too embarrassing or ridiculous Shiro could easily stop it and insist on a Terran dance instead. He hoped that Keith wouldn’t try to embarrass him since their two countries were supposed to be friends now. But that playful look made Shiro wonder if Keith really cared about rules when there was fun to be had. 

“As long as you promise to be a kind instructor, I would be honoured to learn a Galran dance directly from someone of Galran heritage.” 

Keith gave a small smile and then nodded. “I’ll talk to the conductor later and see if he knows a song that will work. I think you’ll enjoy yourself, Your Highness,” Keith said and then gave a small bow of his head. 

“Now that the dancing arrangements are settled, shall we get everyone seated and start the dinner?” Kuro asked. Shiro could tell he was put out at not getting a dance lesson but he did get to dance with Keith first and wouldn’t have to worry about making a fool of himself if he stumbled over new steps. 

“I think that would be wise. Hungry guests are never happy guests,” Kolivan said. He led his group around the table and Kuro indicated where everyone should sit. 

It was too bad that Keith was too far down the table to make casual small talk to. Perhaps later, when things became less formal and it was more acceptable to move around the room, Shiro would be able to find time to talk with Keith. 

He had hoped he wouldn’t be an alpha so that he could indulge in some harmless flirting but knowing that Keith was an omega… well, that changed things. And the look Kuro sent him when he looked after his brother told him he thought that way, too. 

 

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Keith tried to keep the frown off his face as he settled his hand on Kuro’s shoulder, his other held lightly in Kuro’s hand. It felt odd. Maybe Kuro just wasn’t tall enough. Keith did learn to dance with Lotor and Kolivan as his partners and they easily towered over the princes. Or maybe it was all the eyes he could feel on him. Sure, he had danced with Lotor at his coronation ball, but that had still been fun. He was used to dancing with Lotor and he wasn’t trying to impress anyone there. 

He didn’t really need to impress the princes but the role of the ambassador and his entourage, which included himself, was to foster good feelings between Terra and Galra. 

“Relax. I don’t bite,” Kuro said just before the music started and began the steps. 

“Right… that’s my job,” Keith said forcing a smile to show off his smaller fanged teeth. 

Kuro laughed and Keith thought the prince looked more handsome when he did. Maybe if he just focused on him and not the other couples and people watching it wouldn’t be so bad. He knew the dance. He wasn’t about to step on his partner or trip and fall. 

“I think I like your bite, Keith.” 

“I’m not sure your brother does.” He still didn’t know why he suggested doing a Galran dance instead or why Shiro had reluctantly accepted. 

“If he doesn’t appreciate your tutelage, I’d be happy to step in for him.” Kuro flashed a charming smile and Keith found his lips quirking up slightly to match it. It was hard to resist the joy that Kuro seemed to have for mischief even if his eyes hid a bit of darkness. But they’d all lived through the war… it was hard to not have a bit of darkness. 

“Do you step in for your brother often?” Keith asked before being spun out and back in. He didn’t understand why Terran dances had to have so much spinning in them. 

“I support him where I can. There are some things he prefers to do himself though,” Kuro said. 

And the way he chuckled after he said that made Keith think he was missing part of the joke but he couldn’t figure out what it was. He started to ask what he meant when Kuro asked a question at the same time. 

“My apologies, Your Highness. After you,” Keith said, trying to remember his manners. At least then he could tell Kolivan he tried to stay on his best behaviour even if he hadn’t been doing a good job of it so far.

“I told you not to call me that while we danced, didn’t I?” Kuro asked. 

Keith nodded. He had. It felt a bit too familiar to call the prince just Kuro but Kuro said it felt weirder to dance with someone being so formal. 

“Anyway, I was just going to ask about your outfit and your hair pieces. They’re all gorgeous, by the way. You look very handsome in them,” Kuro said and flashed another smile. This one made Keith want to roll his eyes. The flattery was being laid on a little too thick. 

“Thanks. Antok picked out my clothes and my father did my hair,” He said. 

“The ambassador did your hair?” Kuro looked out across the dance floor toward the head table where Kolivan still sat talking with Shiro and several other high ranking nobles and ministers. “I wouldn’t have thought someone with such large hands could do something so delicate.” 

Keith gave a soft chuckle at that. He had certainly felt the same way the first time Kolivan had offered to help with his hair. It had been the day of Kolivan’s mating ceremony to his mother and maybe the first day where it felt like Kolivan could really be family to him and not just a hero. He had doubted his skills but Kolivan had surprised him with the gentle touch and all of the small braids and twists meeting in a creative knot design in the back. 

“He’s full of many surprises. He’s certainly better at doing hair than I am. I normally just wear it in a ponytail… maybe a braid if I really want it out of the way.” Keith could manage something nicer if he really had to. But by this point, his family and army of adopted aunts and uncles understood that if they wanted Keith’s hair to actually look elegant they would have to do it themselves. 

“I think that’s why my brother cut all of his off. He got tired of trying to tame it or having people fuss over it. Especially when we were in the field,” Kuro said. 

Kuro’s hair wasn’t the longest Keith had seen on the nobles around the castle but it did fall to his shoulder, with a small silver circlet denoting his rank of a prince on top of his head and helping to hold his hair in place. It had been tied back the day they had met because Keith had thought Kuro and Shiro much more similar in appearance then. 

“I think both styles suit you,” Keith said. He didn’t think it was the wrong thing to say since the princes did share a face, even if Shiro’s had a scar across his nose and Kuro’s was more often smiling. 

“I’m happy to hear that. I was tempted to cut mine, too. But Takashi beat me to it and I try not to look like I copy everything my big brother does,” He said. 

“Is it hard having a twin?” Keith asked, out of curiosity and because he wanted to know more about the princes they had struck peace with. 

“Sometimes it can be. There are times when I’d like to be seen as my own person and not just one half. But I couldn’t imagine a life where I didn’t have my brother with me. Even if he’s a brat at times.” 

“I thought it was the younger brother’s job to be a brat,” Keith said. At least that’s what Lotor had told him when he declared himself Keith’s older brother one day when they were on a mission and Keith wasn’t in the mood to listen to anything. His moody teenage years really were a little embarrassing to look back on. 

“Hmmm are you encouraging me to be more of a brat?” 

“No. Of course not.” 

“I think you were. And I think that means I get to request another dance from you since this one is almost over and I still haven’t asked my question.” 

“You had a question?” Keith asked. He wasn’t really opposed to dancing with Kuro a bit more. He’d been easy to move with once the song had started and hadn’t tried to slip his hand anywhere inappropriate or lean in for a sniff. It also gave Keith more of a chance to talk when Kuro’s guard seemed lower. 

“About your outfit. The crest on your jacket and the one in your hair are different.” 

“That’s not a question,” Keith said. 

“Now who’s the brat? What do they mean and why are they different?” Kuro asked. He was still smiling though so Keith figured he wasn’t really offended. 

“I thought you liked my bite. And the crest on my jacket is just the motif that Daibazaal uses. In merchant use, it tells you that not only is it made in Galra but in the capital city where the most skilled are said to live and work. But nobles often use it when they travel to show their connections to court and loyalty to the Galra and the crown. It seemed fitting to have as the ambassador’s son,” Keith explained. 

“That’s interesting. Does your family not have your own crest?” Kuro asked. 

But before Keith could answer, the song came to the end and Kuro released him to give a small bow and Keith returned it, making sure to bow a little lower since his dance partner was royalty. Kuro took his hand but instead of leading him off the dance floor, led him around it slightly to a new spot. Keith didn’t miss that Kolivan and Shiro had spotted them and noticed them not returning from the dance floor. 

“You did that on purpose,” Keith said. 

“My brother’s the crown prince. It’s good for him to be teased from time to time.” 

“Just remember that you’re also teasing my father.” Though Keith thought that Kolivan might be amused by it. Kolivan wasn’t so old that he had forgotten how young alphas liked to peacock and have fun. 

“He’s a hard man to forget. He’s rather imposing. He was part of the rebel faction?” 

“He was. And that’s why my family has no crest of our own yet. Lo-the Emperor has given him land and a title but with so much else going on, finalizing everything and picking a crest and colours has been a low priority.” Keith didn’t seem any harm in sharing that. Being part of the rebellion that worked with Lotor to bring down his father and to stop the Galra Empire from expanding and the long war could only be seen as a good thing here. 

“That makes sense. If he decides on one while you’re here, I hope you’ll show it to me and explain it,” Kuro said. 

“I will. And I don’t think I know this dance…” Keith admitted as the music took up in a way he didn’t instantly recognize. 

“It’s not so different from the other one. Just follow my lead. And you seem light enough, I doubt I’ll notice if you tread on me a bit.” 

“Now you’re just tempting me to do it on purpose.” 

Kuro just laughed at that and then spun Keith out and in twice before taking him back up in his arms. Keith really hated the spins. 

“So what’s the crest in your hair?” 

“The Emperor’s personal seal,” Keith said. He was rather partial to the design so was happy when Lotor had gifted him a few things with it on it. His favourite was the short sword with the jewelled scabbard in the design. 

“You’re very close to your emperor for him to gift you such a beautiful piece.” 

“It took my father and him five years of working together to get him onto the throne. It gave us time to grow close.” It was actually weird being so far away from Lotor for so long but it was still to help Lotor so it was worth it. 

“Are you promised to him?” Kuro asked causing Keith to miss a move and step on Kuro’s foot. True to his word, he didn’t even flinch but he did adjust his hold on Keith to help him find his footing again.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. But considering who your father is and the way you’re dressed, it would make sense to me if the emperor wanted you as his mate.” 

“We aren’t like that,” Keith said, his typical denial springing to his lips. If Lotor asked, he wasn’t sure he would say no. but Lotor hadn’t asked and he was okay with that. He liked being Lotor’s friend and family. 

“So you’re free to be courted?” 

Keith stepped on Kuro’s other foot. “My apologies. Maybe I’ve had enough dancing for now. I’m not used to all these spins that are included in the Terran dances,” Keith said. 

Kuro thankfully took the hint and changed his hold on Keith once more so he could hold his hand and lead him off the dance floor and back to the head table where Kolivan was. He gave a small bow, said something to his brother Keith hadn’t been able to hear and then disappeared back into the crowd, stopping to chat with a group of nobles that looked around his age. Keith hoped Kuro hadn’t been offended by his lack of answer and abrupt end to their dance. 

“Did you enjoy your dance, kit?” Kolivan asked. 

“Hmm? Yes. But I don’t think all of those turns after such a delicious feast was a good idea,” Keith said, making an excuse for their sudden exit from the dance floor. 

One of the ministers at the table, Lord Holt, let out a laugh at that. “It happens to the best of us, don’t worry. There’s one dance that’s almost nothing but turns and spins and often has all those not leading begging for a break after.” More laughter from some of the others met that, clearly all of them familiar with that dance. 

Keith hadn’t been taught any dance that had that many turns and spins in it and was suddenly curious to see it even if he didn’t actually want to try it. 

“If you want, I’d be happy to teach you it,” Shiro said. “As a thank you for teaching me Galran dances.” 

Keith looked over at him and once again wondered why he had suggested teaching him and why he was always unable to back down from a challenge. “As long as you don’t mind risking your toes, Your Highness” Keith said. 

“I think it’s worth the risk. Would you like to show us all the Galra dance now or take a break first?” 

“Just a small break. After the next song?” 

“I’ll be ready for it,” Shiro said and turned back to the noble he’d been talking to while Keith sat and poured himself a drink. He could handle a couple more dances with another handsome prince. If they were both learning dances, it would give them less time to chat. but it would still give him a chance to get a feel for the prince’s character. He hoped the prince was truly a good man. He wanted this peace to work out for all of the Galra and Lotor. 

-0-0-0-0-0-

Keith sighed as he tugged off one boot and then the other, wiggling his toes and enjoying the feel of being out of them. Dancing with Shiro had been more fun than expected but dancing in new boots had been a little foolish. 

As he slowly started taking the jewellery out of his hair, Keith thought about leading Shiro through the Galra dance and how he had been so serious about it. It was strange how he could be so similar to his twin but so different. Keith was sure that Kuro would have joked his way through the lesson. 

But there was one point in the dance where Keith’s instructions weren’t quite clear and they’d both gone to move the same way and collided into each other and stumbled a bit. Instead of being angry or even frustrated, Shiro had let out a genuine laugh that had had several other couples braving the Galran dance looking over at them. Shiro waved them off, took up the position with Keith again and carried on, but the laugh still lingered in his eyes. The dance had been a lot more fun after that, even if Shiro’s dance moves were still rather horrible. 

After the dance had ended there was a brief pause as couples moved to fill the dance floor before an upbeat tune had started and Keith thought that this was a dance that had to be popular with nobles and simple folk both. Keith was sure he was in over his head. But the prince had kept a firm hold of him, told him to trust him, and then they’d been off. 

It had felt more like a sprint than a dance at times as they moved around the floor in a circle, while turning in circles and every few bars, seemingly at random to Keith, being spun out and back in. 

They had collided with other couples on more than one occasion but everyone just laughed and the fact that it seemed to be happening all over the dance floor helped Keith get over his embarrassment. 

By the end, Keith was laughing and sweating and at the final beat, instead of the formal bow, he had just collapsed against Shiro’s chest breathing hard. Shiro’s laugh cut off though Keith still felt the way his chest rose and fell as he fought to catch his breath, too. 

“Did you like it?” Shiro had asked. 

Keith had looked up at him, realized the rather compromising position he had put himself into on the middle of the dance floor and immediately pulled back. Shiro had dropped his hands and let him. “I did. But I think I need a chair and water now.” He glanced around the floor and was thankful that other couples seemed to be getting their bearings still and not nearly as many people seemed to have noticed his indiscretion as he feared. 

Shiro had led him back to Kolivan and made sure he was seated with water before taking up his own chair. Shiro had told Kolivan he rather liked the Galran dance and hoped to learn more of them for the official gala celebrating the peace treaty in a couple month’s time. 

The conversation after that point had been normal and Keith found himself drawn into conversing with other nobles that came up to say hello to him. His eyes kept drifting over to Shiro’s though and the one time their eyes had met, Keith had held the look for only a moment before turning away, heat rising to his cheeks. 

Keith let out a sigh and fingered Lotor’s crest on the hair pin for a moment before putting it and the other pieces away. He was here to work and represent Galra. He wasn’t here to flirt with the princes. 

But as he stripped out of his formal clothes and finally fell into the bed, exhausted from a long night of playing a respectable omega, Keith couldn’t help remembering how strong and solid Shiro’s chest felt beneath his cheek. And he certainly couldn’t stop his dreams from conjuring up what it would feel like with no clothes between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled a bit at first coming up with a story idea for the prompt as I'd just written a fantasy AU and I'm currently writing an ABO themed story. But once a story idea hit, it hit hard. Of course, Keith refused to be a pining omega only looking for love so he demanded intrigue. And then Kuron, hearing there was a cute omega Keith running around demanded that Shiro obviously needed a brother. And from there, things just snowballed...
> 
> Also, if the actual series can get away with not giving Shiro a family/backstory so can I. >.>


	2. Watch out!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Intrigue and flirting.

Life was settling into something of a routine for Keith. Most mornings he had magic training at the main academy in Atlas and he’d pick up something to eat on the way back. Keith wanted to just get a feel for the city and enjoy the atmosphere. And it was easy enough to ignore any curious or angry looks sent his way. He didn’t look all that Galran but that didn’t mean everyone was happy to see him. But between the guards, that did regular patrols, and the general peaceful atmosphere of the city, Keith never felt like he was in danger. So he stuck to his routine of looking for new food stalls or cafes on his way back to the palace. 

Once there he’d see if Kolivan had anything for him to do and if not he’d either study or indulge in any of the numerous popular pastimes for young nobles and hopefully bond with those in Atlas more. And even if he didn’t like socializing all that much with spoiled nobles time would still pass quickly enough and it would be time for supper. It was then he could relax a bit more as those in the Galran entourage would be invited to Kolivan’s much smaller and less formal dining table. 

Sometimes there were bigger dinners or events but Keith wasn’t always expected to attend. So if there was nothing else, he’d spend rest of the evening with Kolivan or Antok doing any number of things before retiring for the night and preparing to start the day again. 

Keith had thought that magic training would be tedious and a waste of time since he did know the basics and could mostly keep from accidentally catching anything on fire. But the academy seemed to separate people by general age, ability, and magic types. So his fear of being surrounded by ten year olds was quickly put to rest and those he was stuck training with weren’t nearly as annoying or incompetent as he feared. 

He wasn’t about to call any of them friends but Keith wasn’t sure if that was because he was part Galra and so everyone was wary of him or just because he could be a bit focused and people took that as being standoffish. He was here to learn and pass the magic exam. He wasn’t here to gossip or flirt. Something the lone male alpha in their small group learned the first time he tried to make a pass at Keith. 

It wasn’t his fault he lost concentration and singed the guy’s eyebrow off. Fortunately, the female alpha learned from his mistake and didn’t try approaching him. She seemed more interested in flirting with one of the female omegas anyway. 

He had just finished another morning of training and was trying to remember if Kolivan had told him he had anything he was supposed to do this afternoon or if he could take his time finding a new cafe when he spotted Kuro leaning against the wall near the gate that led out of the academy. 

“Your Highness,” He said with a nod of his head. Keith noticed that other students that spotted the prince either circled far away from him as if nervous to face royalty or gave him a respectful bow and greeting as they passed. Keith would have done something like that but he had a feeling that the prince was here for him. 

Kuro liked to show up just to say hello or inquire as to how Keith was getting on with things. You’d think that Kuro didn’t have anything better to do and when Keith had asked, Kuro had just laughed and said his brother could handle things. 

Not that Keith completely disliked Kuro’s attention. He was a handsome alpha and more than that, Keith thought they could maybe be friends. And he could use these random talk times to learn more about the princes, Atlas, and Terra as a whole. 

“I was worried I missed you. I got roped into doing actual work this morning,” Kuro said. 

“You could have found me at the palace, sir,” Keith said. It would have been easier than running halfway across the city. And speaking of, Keith glanced around and then relaxed when he saw a couple of guards who were far enough away to not hear or be immediately noticed but who were keeping an intent eye on the prince. At least Kuro wasn’t completely reckless. 

“I could have. But then I wouldn’t have been able to invite you out for lunch. I know a couple good places I don’t think you’ve discovered yet. There’s this one bakery that also does soup. They only do takeout but I thought we could get a few things and eat in the gardens at the palace,” Kuro said, smile wide and expression hopeful. 

“Is this a date?” Keith asked. He wasn’t always the best at picking up on social cues so thought it best to clear things up right away. 

“More like a prelude to one.”

That wasn’t overly reassuring. Especially since he wasn’t sure if he was disappointed or not that it wasn’t a date. But as Kuro was a prince and he was the ambassador’s son, spontaneous dates weren’t really things they could indulge in. If an alpha prince wanted to date him, he’d have to get permission from Kolivan as well as Keith’s agreement. There would be no such thing as casual liaisons while Kolivan was considered an extension of the crown. 

“So just friends getting to know each other.” Much less complicated and there was always the possibility that Kuro would be happy to leave it at that and not pursue anything romantic. Though politically, the second prince marrying the Galran ambassador’s half Terran son would probably be a wise strategic move. 

“Exactly. I’ve been enjoying your company these past couple of weeks and was hoping to get some more of it. The food really is delicious. And my guards will make sure it’s only the food we devour,” Kuro said. 

Keith shook his head at Kuro’s weird way of phrasing things but decided there was no reason not to agree. This was the perfect chance to really get Kuro alone and speaking of more interesting things. “My father’s not that strict, you know. He trusts me.” And he trusted that Keith could stun anyone with a hidden dagger or his powers long enough so he could get away. 

“Perhaps I don’t trust myself.”

“You’d be a poorly trained royal alpha if that were true. Lo-Emperor Lotor spent several years in exile and he still could remain composed around any number of omegas,” Keith said. 

“Is that a challenge?” Kuro asked as he pushed off up from the wall and moved closer to Keith. 

“Of course not, Your Highness. I was merely sharing some personal musings. I find the differences between Terran and Galran alphas to be interesting.” It was, of course, a challenge and the only main difference between alphas as far as he could tell was the colour of their skin. 

“Do you? And what differences have you noticed so far?”

“You’re much less purple. And shorter, of course,” Keith said, trying not to let the teasing smile show on his face. 

“Of course,” Kuro said, his voice more a grunt than the pleasant tone it normally was. “Come on, let’s go find that bakery before I decide your fangs are too sharp for me today.” 

“You won’t,” Keith said confidently, flashing a bit of fang at Kuro. “You like my bite.” 

Kuro laughed but didn’t argue the point. Instead, he looped his arm with Keith’s and led him from the academy grounds and off to the bakery he liked, his guards trailing behind them. 

The bakery had in fact been a good choice. The smells had taunted Keith from the street and once inside he couldn’t pick just one thing to get with the soup Kuro had suggested. And then there were the sweet pastries that took up a whole wall of the small shop. 

To say Keith’s eyes were bigger than his stomach would have been polite. But he figured Kuro was an alpha and could eat a lot and the guards following them would surely enjoy the meat buns that he was sure he got far too many of. And Kuro had only smiled in amusement as Keith hauled his laden down tray filled with baked goods to the register. 

The prince had tried to pay for all of Keith’s food but he’d put his foot down and insisted he pay for his own. This wasn’t a date. Though he did let Kuro pay for their soup just so he wouldn’t have to deal with a sulking alpha for the rest of the afternoon.

The walk back to the palace had seemed extra long with his baked goods teasing his nose the whole way. The fact that they kept being stopped by well-meaning citizen of Atlas wishing to greet their prince didn’t help matters either. Kuro made it clear he was on his way to lunch and the guards made sure the friendly citizens didn’t accidentally turn into an overwhelmingly friendly mob so they did finally make it without incident. 

“Is it always like that when you go out?” Keith asked as they turned from the main walk up to the palace to take a quieter path to the gardens. 

“Not always. If it’s just me, I can skulk around a bit more.” 

“I’m not sure a prince is supposed to skulk,” Keith said trying to imagine Kuro hunching over and slinking about in the shadows. But then he also had to imagine Kuro’s two guards trailing after him and that made him chuckle a little. 

“A war teaches a prince all types of things,” Kuro said.

Keith could believe that. He certainly knew more than any proper noble omega should at his age. But he couldn’t regret it. He’d put up with judgement from others and all of the nightmares if it meant Lotor as emperor and the Galra Empire free from war and tyranny. “I guess that’s true. Did you really spend more time with the horses than polite company?” Keith asked remembering what Shiro had said at the start of the ball. 

“Takashi led at the main battles. I was in charge of the more tactical squadrons.” Kuro led Keith off of the small garden path they were on and onto the thick grass that had a large weeping sakura tree in the centre of it just starting to bloom. “We’re a few days early yet, but I think this will make a good spot for a picnic. 

They didn’t have a blanket to make it a real picnic but Keith figured a prince who was in charge of intel and guerilla warfare was used to worse conditions than sitting on the grass to eat. And Keith certainly didn’t mind. He would choose a meal in the garden on grass over a stuffy formal ball any day. 

“It’s beautiful. I admit, being able to view Atlas’ famous blossoming trees for myself was something I was looking forward to. I was glad to find out we hadn’t missed them,” Keith said as he settled down onto the ground, his gaze fixed on the long branches that were dotted with little pale pink flowers and numerous more buds. 

“Wait until next week. The whole canal and river area is lined with sakura trees on both sides. The city holds grand festivals along the whole path and when the wind starts to blow the petals off, it almost looks like snow,” Kuro said. And the smile as he explained it to Keith made something in him feel warm. It was far too easy to be charmed by Kuro, even if danger lurked below the surface. 

“You must have missed it the last few years,” Keith said. He wanted to talk about flower festivals and see if Kuro might go with him to watch the petals fall. But he wasn’t just an omega and ambassador’s son. He needed to know more about Kuro. Find out just where his loyalties were.. 

“There are wild sakura trees dotted around the whole kingdom so we still managed to enjoy them a little. And I think everyone was too busy with the task in front of them to worry too much about festivals.” Kuro opened the two containers of soup and handed one to Keith with a spoon. 

“Thanks,” Keith said as he took it and lifted it up to give it a sniff. It smelled amazing and his stomach gave a grumble of agreement. But before he dug in like the ravenous beast he felt like, he pulled out the bag of extra meat buns he got and held them out. “Do you think your guards would like them? I got too many.”

“I’m sure they’d be honoured to accept any offering from a handsome omega,” Kuro said. He waved his guards over and after a polite round of refusals, they happily accepted the bread and were dismissed to stand further off while Keith and Kuro continued their picnic. 

“Are they your usual guards?”

“I have ten that are specifically assigned to me. They rotate so they can stay fresh and well trained. Depending on what my needs of the day are, I might have more or I might be given some general castle guards,” Kuro explained. “Privacy is a luxury as a prince. 

Keith gave a hum. He knew that Lotor chafed at all the restrictions on him as emperor. He’d enjoyed the freedom while in exile even if he didn’t always enjoy the circumstances. At least most of his guard was made up of those he fought alongside and trusted and liked. 

Keith eyed the guards who were chatting casually and eating their breads. It was clear they were friends with each other and that they didn’t consider the palace gardens nor Keith a threat if they were that relaxed. Keith would be insulted if being underestimated wasn’t a benefit to him. 

“Are the members of the guard the same people you worked with in the war?” Keith asked. He had a feeling that Lotor wasn’t the only one who liked the bonds he forged during battles and wanted to keep those people close. 

“Most of them are. Why do you ask? Was it their slovenly manners that gave them away as not being typical palace guards?” Kuro asked, a teasing glint to his eyes. 

“Not at all. I don’t think I know enough about how palace guards should behave. It’s just… the emperor feels the same way about his guards,” Keith said. 

He pulled out one of the salt breads and passed it to Kuro before taking a large bite of his own. 

“We went through a lot together. Those that didn’t have family outside of Atlas to return to I offered a job. Most of them said yes.” 

Kuro dipped his bread into the soup and Keith copied it and gave a soft sigh of pleasure at how the flavours washed over his tongue and the bread’s crust softened. 

Beside him, Kuro froze for a moment but when Keith gave him a curious look he just smiled and took another bite of his bread. Keith decided that now was the best time to push his luck and press for answers about just what Kuro got up to in the war and if he was as loyal to Terra and his brother as he seemed.

“Is it the same group that pledged loyalty to Zarkon?” Keith asked keeping his voice quiet and purposefully curious and not judgemental. 

Kuro sighed but he thankfully didn’t seem angry by the question. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you heard about that.” 

“At least I’m asking to hear your side of it and not just listening to gossip,” Keith said. Though he had a bit more than gossip to rely on for his information. 

“True. And I appreciate that. I get that just because you’re part Galran it doesn’t mean you had any love for Zarkon.”

“Even a lot of people who seemed loyal to Zarkon or content under his regime seem happier now that he’s gone and don’t appear to miss him,” Keith said. At least he hoped all those cheering citizens and relieved looks on the faces of Zarkon’s old army weren’t just for show. Keith knew that Lotor had his own generals and army to keep him safe as well as the Blades still in Daibazaal but Keith still hated the thought that he had left him in a place where he might not be safe. 

“But when he was in power, everyone wanted to be on his good side, right?” Kuro asked. 

Keith nodded. A lot of people went out of their way to keep Zarkon happy. It could mean the difference between life and death at times. 

“The war was draining our resources faster than we’d ever admit and Shiro and I had a long talk about our options. We decided I would defect to Zarkon. Play the jealous younger brother willing to work with the Galra for a chance at the throne and some autonomy to run my own kingdom even if it swore loyalty to Zarkon.” 

Keith blinked, surprised that Kuro would admit all of that to him and at the plan itself. It was wise to hedge their bets but that was still leaving a lot to chance. Besides, Keith didn’t think there were many scenarios where both twins came out of it alive… or at least welcomed in Atlas. 

“Ideally, I would have been better situated to spy on Zarkon’s forces and help Terra and Altea take him down. But my squadron and I all knew the risk when we agreed to it. We also knew what the worst case scenario would mean in the long run,” Kuro said, stirring his soup aimlessly with his spoon but not eating it. 

Kuro didn’t need to explain what the worst case scenario would be. Keith knew it wasn’t dying. It would be watching his brother be dethroned, and likely being forced to play a part in his death. And then having to run Terra as a puppet king all while trying to keep his people together and safe long enough in the hopes that one day Zarkon would be defeated. 

“I’m glad it didn’t come to that,” Keith said. 

“Me, too. It’s one of the reasons I want this treaty to work, even if I don’t always say the smartest thing around the ambassador.” 

Keith let out a small chuckle at that. He was sure Kolivan appreciated Kuro’s honesty even if he had to act like an offended diplomat. “We all want this peace to work. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t,” Keith said. 

“I know. Now. Enough of depressing topics for one picnic. Tell me how your studies are going. You didn’t set anyone else on fire today, right?” 

“No. But there’s always tomorrow.” Keith may have told Kuro the story about the idiot alpha who was now lacking eyebrows. He didn’t think Kuro believed him when he said it was accidental but by the way Kuro had laughed, he also didn’t think that Kuro cared. 

And while he was disappointed to not be able to pump Kuro for more information, he figured he had gotten enough for one day. He felt pretty sure he could trust Kuro and his motivations. There was no way Shiro could let him and all of Kuro’s most loyal soldiers back into the palace unless he was sure of his brother’s loyalty, right? 

A good thing for the royal family. Less so for Keith and the mystery he was trying to solve. Just who had tried to poison Lotor’s food? Something to ponder with a fresh mind after lunch. 

-0-0-0-0-

Shiro was walking from a meeting he’d been having with his ministers back to his private office to get some work done when he noticed Kuro coming in from the gardens. He was going to greet his brother and maybe cajole him into helping with his work or at least help distract him from it for a little while when he noticed Keith with him. 

He felt a small ping of jealousy in his chest but pushed it away. His brother and him had agreed that they should both get to know Keith better before making any decisions on what to do with him. Though Shiro feared that they’d both end up wanting to court the lively omega. There was just something about him that drew them both in. 

Of course, doing anything beyond being a friend was a risk with this omega considering his father and his obvious close association with the emperor. No matter what Keith said, Shiro didn’t fully believe him when he said he and Lotor were just friends. Shiro didn’t think just anyone so easily called an emperor by his name and it seemed like more than half of Keith’s wardrobe had either Lotor’s personal crest somewhere on it or the one that symbolized loyalty to the crown. 

And even if somehow Keith wasn’t dating the emperor, Shiro feared it was only because he didn’t wish to be stuck in such a political and constricting position. He’d already seen how little Keith enjoyed fancy parties and formal words, even if the omega tried to hide it when Kolivan frowned at him. 

Perhaps Keith had already chosen his brother. The second prince was still an amazing match to make with all of the benefits of royalty but hardly any of the duties. 

But it was early days and Shiro refused to be defeatist. He’d never learn anything of what Keith truly liked or felt if he just watched from the sidelines and relied on Kuro for information. Yes, his brother had more time to spend with Keith, but he had time now. And he should put it to use. 

Shiro waited until his brother turned to leave before stepping fully into the main hall. “Oh, Keith, what a pleasant surprise,” He said as if he hadn’t been watching him from around the corner. 

“Your Highness,” Keith said with a small bow that had improved since his first day here. 

“Please, call me Shiro,” He said. 

He swore Keith muttered something under his breath about stubborn weird princes but decided to pretend he hadn’t heard it. “I’m sorry we haven’t had much time to speak outside of more formal occasions. Are you settling into life here?” 

Shiro really wanted to know what Keith thought of Atlas and maybe if he could imagine truly making a life here.

“I am. My lessons keep me busy and give me a chance to explore a bit of the capital, too. Oh,” Keith stopped talking as he reached into the messenger style bag at his hip and pulled out a slightly crumpled paper bag. “Prince Kuro showed me a bakery he likes. I have a few extra, would you like one?” He asked as he opened the bag and offered it. 

Shiro recognized the design on the bag immediately and smiled. He may envy his brother getting to spend more time with Keith, but he was glad that he was being shown such nice places. “If you really don’t mind. We tried to convince the owner to work for the palace but she insisted she preferred running her own shop.” He pulled out a blueberry danish and took a large bite of it. 

“Really? I can’t imagine it’s easy telling either of you no,” Keith said as he tucked the bag back into his satchel and adjusted the strap going across his chest. 

“Does that mean you find us irresistible?” Shiro asked. 

Keith gave a small shrug. “You’re both really stubborn. I suspect most people find it’s easier to just go along with you than fight it.” 

“Well we’ve certainly been called worse than stubborn. But we do try to be considerate.” Royalty and alpha was a dangerous combination when it came to expecting to get their own way and thinking they knew what was best. 

“It shows. People may respect a strong ruler but they only like good and kind ones. Everyone in Atlas speaks of you and your brother like you’re favoured sons or siblings.” 

“Only as family? Maybe that’s why it’s so hard to get a good dance partner,” Shiro said. 

“Or it could be your dancing,” Keith said without missing a beat. 

“Maybe I just need more dance lessons. I’d be happy to help you with your spins in return.” He’d be more than happy to miss a couple hours of sleep to work late if it gave him an excuse to get Keith in his arms and have more time to talk to him. 

“Hmm... I suppose it wouldn’t hurt if you knew a couple of Lotor’s favourite dances for the peace gala,” Keith said, not remembering to correct Lotor to Emperor this time and making Shiro’s doubts about Keith’s and Lotor’s relationship rise again. 

“It seems like a good way to help foster friendship between us. As long as I’m not expected to dance with the emperor himself.” Again, royal alphas were the epitome of stubborn and he couldn’t imagine a dance between two of them ending well. 

Keith laughed and Shiro swore his heart skipped a beat at the sight and sound of it. “Definitely not expected. But I think it would be fun to watch.” 

“Maybe for you. But I think my advisors would worry themselves to death.” 

“Probably. Kolivan would panic, too.” 

Shiro found it hard to imagine Kolivan doing anything close to panicking. In all of his interactions with the ambassador, he’d remained calm and collected. 

“Speaking of the ambassador, were you heading toward his office? I’d be happy to walk with you.” His own office was somewhat in that direction after all. 

“Actually, I was thinking I should go and change first. I don’t want to get lectured for wandering around in dirty clothes.” 

Shiro swore there was an again at the end of that sentence since Keith was looking rather put out at the thought of a lecture that he’d undoubtedly heard before. Allowing himself to look a bit closer at Keith’s clothes he could see a few grass stains and dirt marks on the outfit. 

“Prince Kuro dragged me outside for a picnic and didn’t think to bring a blanket,” Keith explained. 

“Ah. Well, my brother is great at planning but also for forgetting a few of the smaller details. I hope the lunch was worth the stains,” Shiro said. 

“I think we’ve all eaten in worse conditions than on grass in a garden so I didn’t hold it against him. And yeah, it was nice to eat out under the sakura tree. It’s really beautiful. We talked about going to the spring festival along the river,” Keith said. 

Shiro didn’t want to think about some of the places he’d been forced to eat during the war so was glad when Keith immediately went on to talk about the sakura instead. His delight at seeing something new was infectious. Though Shiro wished he had been the one to invite him on what essentially was a date. 

“I know my duties keep me busy, but I hope that you’ll spare some time to enjoy the sakura with me, too. I’m much better at the festival games than Kuro is,” Shiro said. 

“It’s important to balance work with fun. So I don’t mind going again if it gets you out of the office. I’ll probably even go a third time if I can convince my father to go.” 

“So you don’t mind that I can’t spend as much time with you as Kuro does?” 

Keith looked at him for a long moment and Shiro wondered what he was looking for. Sometimes Keith looked and acted like the young omega he was but right now he seemed much older and wiser. Undoubtedly the war was to blame for part of that. 

“Are you hoping to court me and afraid I’ll say no because you’re the crown prince?” Keith asked. 

Shiro felt his face heat at such a direct question. “I… I think we’re still in the process of getting to know each other. But if things go well, the thought of requesting permission to court you had crossed my mind. But I also know that my duties and responsibilities to the throne will often have to come before my partner and that’s a lot to ask for of someone,” Shiro admitted and hoped the words sounded more composed and sophisticated to Keith than it did to his own ears. 

“Then you should find a partner who can help take some of those responsibilities off your shoulders or is willing to work with you at times,” Keith said.

“So it’s not something that would bother you? Even if you had responsibilities you didn’t like or had to dance with a bunch of nobles hoping to curry favour with the crown?” Shiro asked thinking that Keith’s answer was too good to be true. 

“I didn’t say I’d like everything about being a royal. It’s just, I understand that there are things that are greater and more important than personal desires. Maybe it’s how I was raised but I find I have a lot of deep respect for strong leaders who can put in the long thankless hours to make sure that everyone is looked after,” Keith said. 

“Is it your father who taught you that?” Shiro knew that the ambassador was involved in helping Lotor win his throne from Zarkon but he had never been able to find out just what his position was during that time. It would make sense if he was a leader of some sort. Perhaps a general? 

“Among others. But I think Kolivan was my first hero. Even before he became my father I thought he was the strongest and smartest person I knew,” Keith said. And Shiro noticed just the barest hint of pink rising to his cheeks. It was sweet how much Keith respected his step-father. 

“From what I know of him so far, he seems like a good role model.” 

“He is. But he can also be a little scary if he doesn’t like you.” 

Shiro frowned and then saw that glint of mischief in Keith’s eyes. He was definitely being teased. “Are you trying to scare me away from courting you since I’d have to inform the ambassador about it?” Shiro asked. 

“Of course not. I give everyone the same warning. It’s only fair” 

Shiro was just about to call Keith out on his teasing when there was a flash and a large beast appeared in the hall. 

“Keith!” Shiro yelled in warning and grabbed Keith’s arm to tug him to his side and partially behind him. His other hand was already conjuring up wind to block the beast if it attacked and he cursed himself for not having a sword on him. It wasn’t something he typically brought with him to meetings since he’d be tempted to use it on the long-winded and boring ministers and it also wasn’t needed when he had guards with him. Though since they had been lingering far enough away to not be intrusive Shiro doubted they’d make it to his side in time even with the stomping he could hear. But none of them could have predicted an attack by a teleporting beast. 

“Shiro! Stop!” Keith said and pushed out of his hold. 

Having his name called so casually startled Shiro enough that he dropped his guard for a moment and it was enough for Keith to dodge his attempt to tug him back to his side. “Keith! What are you doing?” He asked still primed and ready to attack the beast as Keith neared it. 

“He’s my pet. His name is Kosmo,” Keith said. The second he held out his hand, the large beast darted forward and ducked his head to get ear scratches, tail wagging vigorously behind him. 

“Your... pet?” Shiro asked dumbfounded. If the colouring, size, and the fact the beast had just teleported was any indication then Keith’s pet was a near legendary beast from ancient times. Just where did Keith find it?!

“Well... we’re friends. But pet is usually easier for people to understand.” 

That didn’t help Shiro understand what was happening at all. But he did hold up his hand to dismiss his guards back to their post in the distance. They seemed just as shocked as he was but after a moment’s hesitation they turned and went back down the hall. It was clear that the wolf wasn’t dangerous, at least not to Keith. 

“I see… and what is he doing here?” Because it would have been impossible to miss the large wolf if he’d been in the palace before. 

“I think he got lonely.” 

“Lonely?” 

“I left him in Lotor’s care. Well, I guess the servants’ care. But Lotor promised he’d give Kosmo plenty of affection and even let him sleep in his room at night,” Keith said to him and then turned to talk to the wolf as if the beast understood him or might answer as he asked him if he was being taken care of and if Lotor was being mean and not letting him share the bed even though it was huge. 

Shiro’s thoughts were reeling. First a wolf of legends pops into existence before him and Keith considers him a friend. But now he was talking about the emperor of Galra as if he was just a normal friend who wasn’t watching over his pet well enough. And just why did Keith know so much about Lotor’s bedroom and the size of his bed?! 

“I can keep him, right? I’ll try to convince him to go back to Daibazaal but he’s spoiled and he missed me,” Keith said.

And then Shiro was hit with not only Keith’s wide puppy-dog eyes asking permission for his wolf to stay but also literal puppy-dog eyes from a wolf who would easily be taller than him if he went up on his back legs. There was no way he was saying no to that combination.

“Of course he can stay. I trust he’s trained and you know how to care for him,” Shiro said hoping that he wouldn’t receive too many complaints about an unruly giant teleporting wolf in the next few weeks. 

“You won’t even notice he’s here,” Keith said. 

Shiro found that hard to believe but nodded. 

“I’m going to show him to my room. It was nice talking with you, Shiro… uh, Your Highness,” Keith gave a small bow and then he and his wolf teleported from sight. 

Shiro released a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. 

Clearly, fate didn’t want him to have a boring life. Why else would he be so drawn to such a chaotic omega?

-0-0-0-0-0-

“You and Lotor have the worst timing,” Keith said once he was back in his room with Kosmo. 

Kosmo gave him a sad look, his tail drooping and Keith sighed and kneeled down by him to pet him more. “Okay. Maybe it’s just Lotor that has bad timing.” 

He didn’t understand why Lotor would risk sending a message in the middle of the day instead of waiting until a time when Keith was more likely to be on his own. It was just fortunate that it had only been Shiro with him and that the prince had been too startled by Kosmo’s appearance to notice the message loosely tied around his neck. 

Keith smiled a little thinking of how Shiro’s first instinct was to put himself between Keith and a potential threat. Keith didn’t really need the protection and it was completely stupid for a prince to put himself into danger like that. But it didn’t stop his heart from fluttering and his face from warming up when he thought about that moment. The lack of hesitation, the strong grip on his arm tugging him to safety, and the confident stance as Shiro prepared to face off against an intruder… 

Keith hadn’t been lying when he said he liked and respected strong leaders. 

But those were dangerous thoughts and right now he had other things to focus on. He opened his satchel where he’d manage to slip the letter from Lotor and moved to his bed to read it. Kosmo quickly curling up beside him, his head resting heavily on Keith’s lap. 

Keith read the message twice and then a couple parts several more times, absorbing all of the details and letting his mind put together just what he was being told with what they already knew. 

He understood now why Lotor was impatient to share the information. The druids had finally got back to him with what poison was used in the attempt on his life. It was pure luck that Kova had been with Lotor at the meal and had hissed and clawed at Lotor as he tried to eat until he gave up and tried to figure out just what was causing his loyal cat to act like she was. 

It hadn’t taken long for them to put together that she didn’t want him eating the soup and for everyone to assume the worst. A druid had been able to prove it was poisoned with a test that fortunately did not involve any person or animal having to sample it. But they didn’t know what exactly was in it. Nor could they find one of the servants that had assisted with serving them their meal. 

But enough clues were left to make them suspicious of the attempt having come from outside of the empire. So while the new ambassador to Altea had people searching for clues there, Keith was tasked with searching here. His information gathering had been slow going but he did have a list of people that may have had the motivation and means to eliminate Lotor.

A list that just became a lot more relevant as the plant used in the poison was only found in Terra. It was possible someone had used it to help obscure their tracks but with how poorly executed the assassination attempt was, Keith thought it was much more likely the person had used whatever was readily and easily available. Buying or growing a rare plant, no matter how beautiful their flowers, was sure to attract attention, especially when the roots were known to be poisonous. 

Keith stared at the drawing of the flower on the paper. It was beautiful but that’s not what drew him to it. He’d seen it. Of course he had. The royal gardens had all types of flowers and plants from all around Terra.

He jumped to his feet, dislodging Kosmo and making him whine at him. “Sorry, Kosmo. Want to go for a walk?” Keith asked as he moved around the room collecting what he might need. He looked down at his still grass stained clothes and decided there was no point in changing just yet. 

Kosmo gave him a long slow blink as he watched Keith walk to the door and then finally, prowled off the bed with a long stretch. Keith shook his head fondly and reached out to pet his lazy wolf when he drew near. “We’ve definitely spoiled you,” He said. 

He turned to open the door when Kosmo pushed his head against his side, nearly toppling him over, but instead of falling into the door, he stumbled a few steps on the grass of the gardens. He looked around but the only people he could spot were a few guards off in the distance who were facing away from him and towards the entrance, likely there to keep castle visitors from wandering where they shouldn’t be. Keith relaxed and looked back at Kosmo who was sniffing around. 

“Apology for being slow accepted,” Keith said. He was thankful that Kosmo had teleported them. It meant he wouldn’t run into anyone in the halls or have to explain why he was still running around in soiled clothes. 

“Come on. I think it was this way.” He headed further into the gardens away from where most ventured for just a casual stroll. This part of the garden had more of a wild look to it though, it was just as beautifully maintained and cared for as the rest. 

Keith had explored all of the gardens early on in his stay while waiting for his magic lessons to start and thought he remembered the flowers growing near the little stream that was shaded by viney looking trees that had branches that tangled with each other and formed a canopy over the water. Keith had thought it both beautiful and eerie. And if those poisonous plants were there it would certainly explain why it had felt like that. 

When he got close to the place he stepped off the path and made his way carefully through the garden and toward a group of flowers that spread across the ground like a blanket. They almost looked like snow. 

Kneeling, Keith pulled out his knife and carefully cut one away and then thinking about it, used his knife to dig up some of the roots and carefully cut away some so it was still attached to a second flower. He tucked both into the pouch at his waist and then considered the area. He didn’t see any sections that looked tampered with but it would have happened a few months prior so it was more wishful thinking. 

“I guess I should write to Lotor and tell him we found some of this on the grounds of the palace,” Keith said to himself and to Kosmo who sneezed as he sniffed one of the flowers too deeply. 

Keith was about to tease his wolf when he felt more than saw movement nearby. He froze and slowly turned until he could see someone making their way quickly across the gardens. They moved with a purpose and while they didn’t look around as if worried someone would see them there was still something that sparked suspicion inside of Keith. 

The clothes of the person were far too nice to be a gardener's and they were moving too fast to be out on a nice stroll. The hat pulled down to half cover their face suggested that their haste was not just because they wanted a private place to let out tears or anger. 

But what was the chance that at the exact moment Keith was investigating poison flowers that a suspect would appear? It was possible it was just a minister having an affair or a thief stealing from the crown or even a murder attempt on someone from the palace… or just someone who took speedy walks while setting off all of Keith’s alarms. 

There was only one way to find out and if the person hadn’t noticed him yet, then it was his chance to follow them. He waited until they had snuck out a side door of the garden wall that Keith wouldn’t have even seen if it hadn’t just opened in front of him. “Let’s go,” He said. 

Kosmo teleported them to the door and Keith ran his hands around the area he knew the door was. “Huh… magic maybe?” He knew some things in Daibazaal were spelled to only respond to those of Galra heritage. But he was both Galra and Human. There was no reason for it not to react to him. Unless it was a different type of spell. Perhaps a secret way for royalty to get in and out of the castle without being detected. But the person who had used it was definitely not one of the princes. The build was all wrong. So maybe it was someone who knew royal secrets.

Since there was no way to know how to open the door, he bit his lip as he glanced at Kosmo. He would just have to hope they had moved far enough away to not notice him appearing on the other side of the wall. He also had to hope that it was quiet on the other side. He didn’t need to be delayed answering questions about Kosmo right now. 

“Okay.” He rested his hand on Kosmo and ended up on the other side. A quick glance reassured them that the area was quiet but it also meant he lost the person he was following. “Roof,” He said.

He frowned as he looked over the edge. He could spot people now but nobody that matched the figure he’d seen in the gardens. “Wait, there,” He said to Kosmo and pointed to the person who was moving with just a little too much purpose through the people mingling in the streets.

Keith reached out for Kosmo and they teleported to another roof. 

They moved through the city that way, accidentally startling one young lady collecting clothing that was drying on the roof but fortunately her yell hadn’t attracted attention and with a quick apology, Keith was on the move again. 

As they neared the edge of the city, Keith was sure that this wasn’t just a coincidence and even if this person wasn’t involved in trying to harm Lotor, they were definitely up to something that needed to be stopped. 

At the entrance to a stable attached to what looked like a fairly dubious bar, the person looked around and Keith finally managed a look at her face before he quickly ducked down to not be seen. 

It was Sanda. One of Terra’s generals turned minister of something or other. Kolivan would know. But right now, all that mattered was that she was high ranking in the court and publicly not fond of the terms of the peace treaty and the alliance. But he didn’t think she’d want to start another war over it. Or was she planning something else?

When she entered the stables, he had Kosmo teleport him to the roof and immediately regretted it as he felt it sag slightly. He dropped down and tried to spread his weight around and that helped stop the ominous creaking sound. Clearly, the stable’s roof was just as dubious as the bar it was attached to. But it also meant sound travelled through it well enough. 

He just hoped that Sanda and whoever she was meeting talked loud enough to be heard. 

He heard what he thought were greetings between Sanda and one other voice and he pressed his ear to the roof to try and pick up more. He was tempted to try and pry up some of the roof but worried about its integrity and making too much noise. 

The conversation seemed stilted and he could hear Sanda’s voice rising in volume and what seemed anger. The voice that answered as low and masculine, definitely seeming the one in control. Who was Sanda working for? 

Keith had thought that Sanda would have been the one in charge and she was meeting lackeys to give instructions to. But if she was meeting another of Shiro’s nobles or ministers, things might be worse in Atlas than he thought. And just how much of this was connected to the troubles in Daibazaal? 

He listened to the muffled conversation, catching a word every now and then but not nearly enough to be useful but finally, it seemed like the conversation was winding down. He heard Sanda’s voice return the way she came in but the other voice seemed to be heading to the back and presumably the other exit of the stables. 

As carefully as he could, he tried to make his way to the other side of the roof so he could see just who Sanda was meeting. He was just at the edge when he heard a foreboding crack. 

His foot started to sink through the roof and Keith tried to step away from there but in his half-crouched position, his footing wasn’t that secure and he tripped. Just as he was starting to pitch over the side in a headlong fall that would have certainly led to injury, discovery from Sanda’s co-conspirator, and possibly death from the fall or said co-conspirator he felt Kosmo’s fur against him and there was the usual shift of air around him before he fell heavily onto a large table. 

“Sendak!” He yelled as he realized who it was he saw at that moment as he started to fall. He just hoped that Sendak hadn’t seen him. 

“Keith! What are you doing here? What happened?” Kolivan asked, surprise clear in his voice. 

Keith rolled over onto his back and looked up at not only Kolivan but several ministers and of course, Shiro. “Uh…” 

“I’ll hardly notice him here?” Shiro asked as Kosmo sat on the table and sniffed at Shiro’s clothes. 

“You’ve met Kosmo?” Kolivan asked, seeming just as surprised by that.

Keith noticed that the ministers and everyone else in the room seemed too shocked to speak but he was sure that wouldn’t last for long. At least nobody was trying to stab him or blast him with magic. 

“I can explain?” He offered. Not at all sure he could explain. 

“How about you get off the table first. You’re squishing all of the plans for the emperor’s visit that these hard working ministers have been preparing for the last few weeks,” Kolivan said. He then held out a hand for Keith to take to help him sit up. 

Keith groaned slightly at moving, the fall to the table was much better than the fall to the ground but it still left him feeling tender. 

“Are you okay?” Kolivan asked. His hands were brushing over Keith’s clothes as he stood in front of him, both tidying him up the best he could and undoubtedly checking for injuries. 

“Just bruised. Kosmo and I were playing… we may have got carried away,” Keith said. Hoping that would be a satisfactory excuse. 

“Is that a ten no yuki flower?” One of the ministers asked. Keith looked back at the table and cringed slightly as he noticed his sample of the flower had escaped his pouch. At least it wasn’t the one with the deadly roots still attached. 

“Is that its name? I saw it when I was bringing Kuro for a walk and was hoping to find out more about it. It looked like a carpet of snow,” Keith said. He was telling the truth about most of that so he hoped everyone would believe it. 

“Yes. It translates into the heavenly snow flower. It’s beautiful as snow from the heavens but if not handled carefully it could send an unsuspecting person straight to heaven as well,” Shiro said. He reached out and the flower flew into his hand, clearly a clever use of his wind magic but the trick still impressed Keith. It was still exciting to see magic used for such simple tasks and not just the destructive forces he’d seen it utilized for during the war. 

“I didn’t realize it was such a poetic or dangerous flower, Your Highness,” Keith said. 

“It’s the roots that are the dangerous part. If I knew you had such an interest in flowers, I would have warned you about the ones to be cautious of,” Shiro moved from the head of the table and walked up to Keith.

He could feel Kolivan stiffen slightly beside him but his father’s poker face was too good for anyone to notice that he was at all tense or nervous. And Keith covered his worry with curiosity. Which wasn’t hard, he was curious to know just what the prince was up to. 

“I’m sure it wouldn’t have mattered. Like my father said, trouble has a way of finding me,” Keith said and gave Shiro a small smile. 

“Well it certainly livens up a meeting,” Shiro said. And then he boldly reached out and brushed back a little bit of Keith’s hair before sliding the flower into it behind his ear. 

Oh. Well that was certainly an unexpected move and one that signalled very non-platonic intentions to all those in the room, his father and Antok included. He felt his cheeks heat and he hoped that Shiro wasn’t expecting a reply from him. 

“Now, who or what is a Sendak? It’s what you yelled when you landed,” Shiro said. His eyes that had been so soft just a moment ago held the stubbornness of a royal alpha and Keith was sure that brushing it off completely wasn’t an option. 

“It’s someone I really don’t like. So instead of swearing and getting yelled at for swearing, I use his name instead,” Keith said and gave a shrug as if it wasn’t a big deal. He hoped Shiro’s ears weren’t as sensitive as Galran ones and he couldn’t hear the way his heart was beating. Maybe he could pass it off as being flustered by the flower move? 

“I suppose falling suddenly onto a table would be cause for swearing. But why were you falling?” 

“Uh…” Keith looked away and then over at Kosmo who was no help as he just hopped off the table and sat beside Shiro and not him. Traitor. 

“It’s a little embarrassing,” He finally said.

Shiro absently scratched the top of Kosmo’s head as he considered Keith and then Kolivan behind him. Whether it was because he believed Keith or he decided that Keith just didn’t want to say in front of his father and potentially get in trouble he didn’t know. But Shiro didn’t push for more. 

“I guess I can let you keep that secret for now. May I suggest a hot bath to relax your muscles and a change of clothes,” Shiro said. It was a dismissal and a clear command. Keith was being sent to his room to stay out of trouble. 

“I think both of those are wise suggestions. And may I add in doing your readings for your classes after that,” Kolivan said. 

“Yes, Kolivan,” Keith said. There was no other answer he could give to that suggestion. 

He reached out to touch Kosmo and get him to teleport him back to his room when Kolivan grabbed his wrist. “Perhaps returning the normal way would be better.” 

Keith tried to bite back the sigh but he wasn’t successful. He then glanced around the room at all of the people watching him and felt like some chastised child. How embarrassing. And he knew Kolivan would be expecting all of the real answers later, too. 

“Of course,” Keith said. He turned to Shiro and gave a small bow and started walking to the door with as much dignity as he could. 

“Keith,” Shiro called out. 

“Yes, Your Highness?” He asked, half turning around to look at him. 

“It was a pleasure having you drop in on us,” Shiro said. Some of the ministers snorted at that and Keith hated that Shiro managed to keep a bland neutral smile the whole time. Jerk. “Though next time, perhaps a door?” 

“Of course, Your Highness,” Keith said. And used said door to escape before any more teasing could happen. What a brat of a prince! And the joke wasn’t even that funny! He had no idea why he was smiling because of it. 

He huffed and stomped all of the way back to his room, Kosmo already waiting inside for him when he arrived. “Thanks for that,” He said to his wolf. He just stared at him and Keith huffed again. “Anywhere in all of Atlas and you had to drop me on a table in front of my father and the prince?” 

Kosmo just gave a yawn and settled onto the bed to curl up for a nap. Such a traitor. 

Keith wanted to throw himself onto his bed and groan into his pillow and maybe attempt to suffocate himself while he was it. But instead he walked over to his desk to pull out paper and a pen. He needed to inform Lotor about Sendak’s involvement in something fishy here and tell him that the flower was easily available in Atlas and even grew on the palace grounds. He’d also ask Lotor if he thought it prudent to inform the princes about what he’d discovered. Then he’d send Kosmo off to deliver it and harass Lotor instead of him for a while.

As he sat down to write, he caught sight of himself in the mirror and saw the flower tucked behind his ear. He reached up and gently touched it. He was glad he had dug up the second one with the roots so he could send that one to Lotor instead of this one. 

 

-0-0-0-0-

“He fell onto the table?” Kuro asked with a laugh. He was sprawled across the couch in the private library in the family wing, a drink in his hand and his jacket tossed over the back of the couch.

“Teleporting wolf. He’s cute,” Shiro said. He took a sip of his own drink and stretched his legs out onto the footrest in front of his wing-backed chair. It was nice when he and Kuro both had time in their schedule and they could just relax together. It happened far too rarely. 

“Who? The wolf or Keith?” Kuro asked. He was grinning and clearly amused by the whole thing. 

“Both. The wolf is an amazing creature. Though he seems to like trouble as much as Keith. Perhaps that’s why they’re friends.” 

“Probably. But why did they end up on the table?” Kuro straightened a little, his look shifting from amused to contemplative.

“He said it was embarrassing. He seemed to have been running around the gardens. Maybe he was climbing a tree and fell?” Shiro hoped it was something that innocent at least. He didn’t want to suspect the ambassador’s son of anything for more than harmless mischief. And not just because he found the man intriguing and cute. 

“It still seems weird,” Kuro said.

“Well, you could always try to ask him what really happened the next time you have a picnic,” Shiro said. 

“Is that jealousy I detect brother?” Kuro stood and went over to the sideboard to get the bottle of bourbon they were drinking and topped up his own glass before heading over to do the same for Shiro’s. 

Shiro said his thanks and sighed a bit as he looked into his drink. “Perhaps a little. I ran into him after your lunch and he seemed excited by it.” 

“We could put rules in place. Unless you’re giving up already,” Kuro said. He sat back down on the couch, the picture of confident alpha. 

“Not at all. We had a bit of a talk and he doesn’t seem adverse to being with me, even though my duties keep me busy.” He smiled as he remembered Keith’s words. It was rare to find someone who was willing to put up with such things because they understood how important it was and not just because they thought the money and power of dating a prince outweighed the bad. 

“Then same rules as usual. We keep getting to know him, we make our intentions clear but keep our interactions neutral. Anything that happens is because it’s Keith’s choice,” Kuro said. 

“Keith’s choice,” Shiro agreed. And hoped that Keith would pick him and not Kuro or Lotor. 

“And maybe it’s good if both of us have our attention on him. Less chance for him to get into trouble, right?” 

“Right. Though for now, I choose to believe that today’s mishap was as innocent as he said,” Shiro said. 

“Just a few more weeks. If we can survive hosting Altea and Galra here for the peace treaty and gala, I think this peace will last,” Kuro said. 

Shiro nodded. That was what they were all aiming for. Make it to the ball and ensure the peace. He finished his drink and set it down and lightly massaged his hand as he thought about everything that still had to happen between now and the arrival of Allura, Lotor, and their undoubtedly large entourages. 

“Hand bugging you?” Kuro asked. 

“A little…” He admitted. And only because it was his brother and they were in private. 

“Come on. Let me help you out.” Kuro moved to sit on the footstool, gently pushing Shiro’s legs off of it. 

Shiro leaned forward and slid off his jacket. He plucked off his gloves, revealing that only one hand was actually flesh, and then undid the buttons on his right cuff before rolling up the sleeve. He then held out his arm for his brother. The arm was a masterpiece in mechanical and magical engineering. It wasn’t the first prosthetic that could move but his was beyond the top of the line. And while it didn’t always work as perfectly as he’d like and it was troublesome to take care of, he was thankful for it every day. 

Kuro’s hands moved along the arm, and Shiro could feel vague traces of it though it felt slightly disjointed. That was one thing he still wasn’t quite used to even after a year with the new limb. 

“You’ve let it get pretty low in power. You should have told me you needed a boost,” Kuro chastised lightly. 

“We’ve both been busy.” It was a weak excuse and Kuro levelled him a look that said he knew how weak it was. 

“I’m never too busy for you. You know this. Now stop being stubborn and relax.” 

Shiro did as his brother ordered and closed his eyes and relaxed back into the chair. His arm tingled now where Kuro touched, his twin using his lightning powers to refuel the arm. It had been strange the first few times, but now Shiro’s body relaxed into it, limbs loosening and eyes growing heavy. 

Hmm that was strange. He didn’t think he was that tired. He forced his eyes open and looked over at Kuro’s glass still nearly full on the table. “Did you drug me?” He asked. The part of him that spent far too many years at war felt panic over this but he mostly felt a mixture of annoyance and curiosity. 

“You need the rest. When your ministers start complaining to me about how tired you look, I know it’s time to force the matter. I promise I’ll watch over you. So just relax and get some sleep, brother.” Kuro leaned forward and placed a light kiss to his forehead. 

Shiro sighed and let his eyes closed. There was nothing to do at this point but to trust his brother. LIke always. He quickly succumbed to sleep, the light tingling of Kuro working on his arm the last thing he felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Keith finally gets to have his intrigue and work on his assignment. Kroia is, of course, one of the agents assigned to work in Altea. She misses her son but is probably happy that Kolivan has to deal with all of this and not her. 
> 
> Also, any excuse to bring Kosmo into the story, I'm taking. Who doesn't love a giant, teleporting, glowing wolf?


	3. A False Bottom!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith keeps busy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A part of me feels the need to apologize for a shorter chapter but it's still over 8000 words and packs a fair bit into it, so hopefully, it will hold everyone over until the next part.

Despite his initial annoyance at being tricked and drugged by his brother, Shiro was actually thankful for Kuro’s duplicity. Even two days later he was still feeling refreshed and more energetic and focused than he’d been for some time. 

And it was a good thing because it wasn’t long into his first dance lesson with Keith that he found out that Keith actually intended to teach him these dances. Shiro had half thought, or maybe half hoped, that Keith would use these lessons as more of a chance to flirt and get to know each other. It’s what many others would have done in his spot. 

But he should have known by now that Keith wasn’t like other omegas. If he said he was going to teach someone how to dance, that’s what he was going to do. 

They’d spent the first ten minutes moving furniture out of the way in the old music room that Shiro had chosen for the lesson and the next ten going over the simple dance that he and Keith had done for the welcome dinner for the ambassador.

Keith made them continue until he was happy with the way Shiro’s feet moved and how he held his posture and once he was satisfied he stepped back and went over to the table to stop the music playing. 

Shiro couldn’t help appreciating the way Keith’s jacket moved around him. His outfit was probably the most omega-like clothes he’d seen him wear outside of the welcome dinner. His jacket was cut straight across the front, stopping short of his belt with the sides and back extending down toward his knees. The back had extra gathered material that moved and shifted in a way that always drew Shiro’s attention, especially when Keith was demonstrating moves to him and the coat fanned out as he turned. 

Like it did now as he turned back to look at Shiro. Not wanting to get caught staring, Shiro immediately busied himself with pouring a couple glasses of water instead. 

“So that’s probably the most basic of the Galra dances and the one with the most in common to Terran ones. I think you have it down enough to move on to something else now.” 

“Alright. What do you suggest?” Shiro asked and held out the second glass of water to Keith who accepted it with a small thanks. 

“Hmm, would you like to learn one of the more popular dances or one of the emperor’s favourites?” Keith asked. 

“They’re not the same?” 

“Not yet.” 

Shiro smiled. Clearly, Keith, for all of his awkwardness at times when dealing with nobles and formal situations still knew enough about royalty and the court to know that whatever Lotor enjoyed would spread until it became something everyone enjoyed. 

“Well, as I’m learning this to make a good impression on your emperor, I suppose you should teach me one of his favourite dances. Is it difficult?” 

“He has two he favours. I’ll teach you the easier one.”

“Your thoughtfulness is appreciated,” Shiro said with a mock bow. 

“You say that now. But you haven’t seen the dance yet.” Keith passed over the empty cup of water and went to the music player to check for the right song. He tinkered with it a moment before setting the song to play. “It’s probably not the song they’ll play at the gala but it will work for practicing,” Keith said. 

“Where did you learn so much about dancing? I was lead to believe you weren’t raised at court,” Shiro said. He hoped he wasn’t overstepping the bounds of polite conversation. 

“Galra like to dance no matter where they are. So I grew up knowing all of the commoner dances and my parents tried to teach me the basics of the court dances. And then Lo-the emperor and his group were staying with us and well, it just seemed natural to start learning all of the court dances properly,” Keith explained. 

Shiro wondered if it was Lotor himself who taught Keith how to dance. Which made him wonder once again if Lotor wouldn’t be a potential courting threat despite Keith’s insistence that he and Lotor weren’t like that.

Lotor would hardly be the first alpha, nor ruler, to have met an omega while they were still young and think it wise to give them time to grow and come into their own before pursuing any romance. Even more so if the alpha was still trying to sort out his own life. No alpha wanted to court an omega without being able to offer protection and a comfortable home. Taking over an empire that had been at war after a coup was not exactly an ideal time to start a relationship. After the peace pledge between all three nations at the gala, however… 

“Are you paying attention?” Keith asked. And Shiro realized that Keith must have said something that he had missed while worrying about potential threats. 

“Sorry. I was distracted. I can’t help but notice how nicely you’re dressed today,” Shiro said thinking it was a neutral topic but also a fine compliment. 

He must have judged wrongly though by how Keith snorted. “You are such an alpha,” Keith said. 

“What do you mean?” Surely anyone with eyes would think Keith looked nice in his deep red jacket with the black lace trim and silver embellishments. 

“Omegas would probably see this outfit and just consider the fashion of it. Is it outdated? Do they want it? Are they jealous? Omegas like to gossip,” Keith said shaking his head lightly. Apparently, he didn’t share their joy of fashion or gossip if that look was anything to go by. 

“Betas are more likely to notice the craftsmanship and colour first. Unless they were really looking for a partner or something… but it’s not going to hit them like it does alphas.” 

“And how does it hit alphas?” Shiro asked. He knew that omega clothing still had traditional holdovers that were meant to appeal to an Alpha’s instincts and could admit that they certainly worked on him. But he thought he could still hold an opinion to when a jacket made an omega look nice or not. 

“Alphas will notice my waist. It’s flat and smooth. Unclaimed,” Keith said and gestured to himself. “And the flared sides and back help to accent my hips. Or what hips I have. I really can’t compete with a woman’s natural hips, so the fabric helps to fool the eye a little. And the extra fabric sways when I move to draw the attention even more to that area.” He turned and moved a little to show off just what he meant before looking back at him. “Typically, an alpha won’t even notice the colour because they’ll be thinking too hard about how the jacket would look on the floor with me naked below them… or maybe even how the jacket would look having to stretch over a large bump they’d put inside of me.”

Shiro swallowed and swore it was audible. Keith was still staring at him as if waiting for something but Shiro found his words had dried up. That was all far too accurate and Keith moving like that just made him picture what he said all the more.

“Am I wrong?” Keith crossed his arms and the move only emphasized his small waist and flared jacket at his hips and it didn’t help Shiro at all. 

“Not exactly. But I like to think I appreciate the jacket and you for more than just what we could do in the bedroom,” Shiro said, proud his voice came out so even. He couldn’t deny that his instincts led his mind exactly where Keith said but he did notice the lovely colour of the jacket and all the accents and details on it. 

“Perhaps you do. It was more of an in general insight. Not everyone can be the stereotypical alpha or omega all of the time,” Keith said. 

“I think you’ve proven that quite well since you’ve arrived here.” 

“Is that… Are you complaining?” Keith asked. The standoffish pose of his arms crossed and stern look was ruined by his stutter and moment of concern in his eyes. Shiro didn’t know if it was from not wanting to reflect poorly on his father or if it was because he didn’t want Shiro to think less of him.

Shiro wasn’t about to let him worry about either though. “It’s been refreshing. I like that you care so much about your studies and your wolf and dress in what’s comfortable to you. While some may say your clothing or decorum may not reach that of the ideal court omega, I find there’s been nothing wanting,” Shiro said. 

Keith looked away, but not before Shiro spotted a blush rising to his cheeks. “G-good. Then we should get back to your lesson,” Keith said. 

It was only then that Shiro noticed the music had stopped. Keith busied himself with getting it started again and Shiro was sure that Keith spent more time setting it up than was strictly set up. But by the time he turned around, most of the awkwardness had passed and they both seemed ready to learn again. 

“I’ll demonstrate your part the best I can. And then we can try it together,” Keith said. He held his arms up in a pose that was somewhat similar to the earlier dance and then started counting and explaining some of the steps as he moved through the dance. It was certainly more complicated than the earlier dance but he could see how it was the foundation to this one. 

“Alright. Think we can try it together?” Keith asked. 

Shiro asked to see a couple moves again without the music and tried to copy Keith’s movements which caused Keith to chuckle a little as he turned the wrong way and stumbled into a chair. 

“Here, legs like this. Remember, you’ll have a partner and their feet have to go somewhere.” 

Shiro moved his feet how Keith wanted and then considered his arms. “Just how close are we dancing?” He asked. 

“It’s a slower more romantic dance. It’s popular with couples who are courting because it gives them a chance to be close without being improper. It’s also a good way to talk on the dance floor without being overheard,” Keith said. 

“And this is one of Emperor Lotor’s favourite dances?” Shiro wondered if it was too late to request a generically popular dance instead. As tempting as it was to have Keith held so closely in his arms, he worried he might do or say something foolish. 

“Lotor likes to talk,” Keith said as if that explained it all. “Now hold your arms up again.” 

Shiro did and Keith frowned. 

“Hmm this one is all wrong.” Keith stepped into his space where he would be if they were actually dancing and Shiro tried to adjust his arm properly as Keith explained it should rest on the small of his back. 

“No, you need to keep your shoulder back, and then relax your arm, but still support me with your hand,” Keith said. He pushed back his shoulder and then started to run his hands down Shiro’s arm to move it and then froze. “Oh…”

Shiro blinked as Keith’s hands paused on him and he stopped talking and then realized why that would be. “Sorry. I know it feels strange.” 

“No. It’s fine. I just… it’s a surprise. I mean, we heard rumours. That the crown prince was injured. That it was his arm… but then we saw you. And you looked fine. I danced with you and didn’t even notice,” Keith said. His hand trailed down his arm to hold onto his hand and pressed at it, clearly amazed and curious about how it felt so normal.

“It’s the gloves. They make it hard to feel that it’s not flesh.” Shiro was used to people looking at his arm strangely or marvelling at it. It wasn’t something he enjoyed but Keith’s curiosity didn’t make him feel as uncomfortable as usual. 

“It’s amazing. Still, it must have been difficult for you. I hope it doesn’t hurt still,” Keith said. 

Shiro startled at the caring words. Most people didn’t consider the pain he might still have. Only the pain he must have gone through when losing his arm or getting his new one. And then there were those that thought that losing an arm was no big deal when he had a new one that worked just as well. Shiro never liked those types of people. 

“Sometimes. But it’s more of a phantom pain. Or it’s just tenderness from pushing myself too hard,” Shiro admitted more honestly than he normally would. Keith made him want to share things. 

Keith nodded as if he understood and Shiro realized that if he was raised in a rebellion camp like he thought he was, then he probably did understand. Injuries were a part of war and he probably knew at least one person closely who had lost a limb of some kind. “Perhaps massages or oils might help with the aches and tenderness,” Keith suggested. 

“Or just don’t push myself as much?” Shiro added on as all three were things he heard often from his healer and his brother. 

“I was trying to think of practical solutions,” Keith said, a teasing smile quirking up the edges of his mouth. 

“Are you saying I’m stubborn?” 

“Alpha,” Keith said. 

It was hard to argue with that. He tried to push himself less but he always thought he could handle just a little bit more. It really was alpha stubbornness most of the time. 

“And you, of course, have no stubbornness?” Shiro asked instead. He knew it wasn’t just an alpha trait after all. 

“I didn’t say that… but I also have a lot more family willing to toss me over their shoulder and drag me off to rest if I push things too far,” Keith said. 

Shiro couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of Kolivan and his entourage all easily manhandling Keith as he was so much smaller than them. Keith would never stand a chance of being too stubborn if he was always being dragged off to relax on a couch with tea or being tucked into bed. 

“You’re imagining it, aren’t you?” Keith asked looking a bit put out. 

“It’s hard not to. I’ve met your father. I know how big he is,” Shiro said. 

“Yeah, well, keep laughing and I’ll convince Antok that you’re too stubborn to take a break,” Keith said. 

Shiro knew that Antok was Kolivan’s butler and since he already thought that the large Galra was a bodyguard and well trained, he decided that if Antok wanted, he could probably pick him up and drag him to bed to rest. He just hoped Antok wouldn’t since he was the crown prince. “I’m royalty,” He pointed out. 

Keith just shrugged as if that wasn’t a hurdle to him. “Come on. Let’s try this dance again. I’ll be more considerate of your arm now that I know about it. So just tell me if any move puts too much stress on it, okay?”

“Alright,” Shiro agreed. 

Shiro thought they had made some decent practice with the dance even if Keith still frowned and lectured through most of it. He was going to suggest they try a Terran dance next to give Keith a break from teaching when there was a knock at the music door. 

He let go of Keith and turned to put himself between Keith and the door. It was foolish since he had guards posted at the door and nobody truly wishing either of them harm would knock. But after so much time spent holding Keith close to him, his instincts weren’t fully following logic. He just hoped that Keith didn’t notice or at least didn’t point out his behaviour.

The door opened a moment later and his secretary slid inside, one of the guards stationed outside of the door looked in to make sure everything was fine before closing the door behind the secretary. Shiro relaxed a little when he saw it was a member of his staff and gestured for him to speak. 

“Your Highness, my apologies for interrupting but Minister Iverson and Minister Sanda have requested your presence to go over a few changes for their plans.” 

Shiro frowned and then looked at the clock by the door and saw that it wasn’t just his ministers being impatient. He was late for their meeting. 

“Of course. Tell them I’ll be with them shortly,” Shiro said. The servant gave a bow before quickly retreating. 

“It’s probably time for a break anyway,” Keith said from behind Shiro. 

When Shiro turned, Keith was back at the music player, carefully starting to tidy everything up. “My ministers seem to think so.”

“I’m sure their meeting is more important than a dance lesson. Well maybe… I know I’ve met them both before but what are they ministers of again? I don’t suppose it’s something like forestry and sheep?” Keith asked. 

Mischief was dancing in Keith's’ eyes and it made Shiro’s stomach flutter even as he gave a small chuckle.

“Unfortunately not. Minister Sanda is in charge of Atlas’ security as well as that for the palace and the royal family. While Minister Iverson is the minister in charge of border security.”

“Ah, so a military and safety kind of meeting,” Keith said. 

“And not one that can be skipped since we are expecting the rulers of our neighbours for a large gala to celebrate the end of the war and the start of peace. We’re still trying to decide how we want to allocate the various branches of our forces and where to house those our guests bring.” 

“Sounds important… but not that fun.” 

“No. Certainly not as fun as the past hour has been. Perhaps we can do it again?” Shiro asked. 

“Of course. You still have a lot to learn before I let you loose to dance at the gala,” Keith said. 

And even though he was being teased, Shiro couldn’t help but smile. The thought of more lessons with Keith would certainly keep his spirits up if the meeting dragged on or if Iverson and Sanda got into an argument over where to station guards again. “I’ll send you a note about when I’m free for our next lesson.” 

“Okay. Just remember I have lessons in the morning.” 

“I won’t forget.” He paused at the door, looking back to see Keith had already turned back to tidying up the music room. He must have felt Shiro’s eyes on him though because he looked over his shoulder and gave a small smile. 

“Your ministers won’t like me if you just keep standing there watching me,” Keith said. 

“Well, I can’t have that. Thank you again for the lesson, Keith.” 

“Go to your meeting, Your Highness,” Keith said with a fond shake of his head that said he was an omega used to dealing with silly alphas. 

Shiro decided to be good and listen and left the music room to try and finally settle on where to post everyone while they hosted those from Galra and Altea. 

 

-0-0-0-0-

Keith tidied up the music room after saying goodbye to Shiro. The prince didn’t know it, but he had just given Keith the perfect opportunity to investigate Sanda’s rooms while being absolutely sure she was preoccupied elsewhere. He would just loiter a bit longer here just to be sure before heading over. 

As he left the music room, he was relieved to see the hall empty of guards and did his best to look casual while he headed to where most ministers had their rooms. He wished he had time to go back and get Kosmo but he didn't’ know how long the meeting would last and was sure he’d be okay on his own. 

It didn’t take him long to get into the right hall where he knew Sanda’s room was. Now, he had to rely on his sense of smell. It wasn’t as strong as most Galran's but he’d be able to smell if it was a female alpha’s room or not. And there were only a couple of those as ministers so Keith was confident he’d find Sanda’s rooms easily. 

He paused in front of the first door and took a small sniff before moving on. He tried to keep casual and look as if he belonged there and knew where he was going just in case anyone stepped out into the hall and saw him. But so far his luck held. And as he moved to the fourth door, he caught scent of what he was looking for. 

Hoping the nobles here were as foolish as anywhere else, Keith tried the door and almost laughed as it turned. Plotting against at least one crown and doesn’t lock her door? Ridiculous. 

Slipping inside, Keith shut the door quietly and then took in the room. It was quiet and empty of people. The room was well-lit thanks to the open curtains, good for looking around, less good in case someone walked in. Keith would have to move fast. 

He walked around the sitting room first, taking in potential spots to hide important information and then looked into the other rooms. A neglected looking spare bedroom, the bathroom, Sanda’s bedroom and a locked room. 

Guessing that it was her office, Keith knelt down and pulled out a few hairpins that specifically doubled as lock picks. Rarely anyone considered an omega’s hair when looking to strip a prisoner of things. It was a habit he got into during the war and one he still kept up now. Looking at the lock, Keith picked up two of the pins and started working them in and jiggled them around until he heard the mechanism click. He smiled as he turned the handle and the door swung in. 

It was an office like he had guessed and looked neat and organized. Though the large drawers of the heavy desk in the centre of the room called to him, he hesitated. 

There was no doubt that the desk would hold important information but would it have anything beyond her work as Shiro’s minister? Or would she keep the more clandestine information somewhere in her bedroom?

He didn’t know enough about her to guess but since she was much more likely to host other ministers or the princes in her office while discussing business, he decided to check the bedroom first. A jewellery box or bedside table were always ideal spots in people’s mind to hold things they wanted to be kept private. Those things could often be locked and servants knew not to look in either if they didn’t want to be reprimanded. 

Closing the office door, Keith walked back to the bedroom and looked at it more closely. There was a large closet but he’d start with the obvious first. He picked his way into her jewellery box and while impressed with the number of beautiful pieces a military alpha had, he didn’t find anything that led to Sendak or potential betrayals to the peace agreement. 

He carefully put everything back and then locked it before moving to her bedside table. He almost gave up on finding anything when he realized that the bottom was a little wobbly. He grinned as he found the small ribbon at the back used to pull it up. A false bottom like this was something Keith loved finding. He liked feeling more clever than the bad guys, even if things like this were pretty routine when it came to people trying to hide things. 

He carefully set aside everything in the drawer and the fake bottom before looking to see what was there. It wasn’t much but there was a notebook and what looked like a few letters. 

It was odd not to burn the letters right away, it’s what he was taught to do with anything other than the most mundane communications, so he opened those first. And then sighed. He couldn’t tell if it was code or just a language he didn’t know but he couldn’t read them and had no way of knowing if they were about the weather at the border or about supplying Sendak with poisons to kill Lotor. 

Still, letters written in an uncommon way hidden underneath a fake bottom of a locked drawer was definitely suspicious. He’d send one to Lotor to see if he or his generals could decipher it and he’d show the other to Kolivan. He tucked both into his jacket and then started looking through the notebook. 

It looked like it had been started back when the war was still going on and considering Kuro’s plan for duplicity and it was a war, Keith didn’t put much weight on anything being written during that time. 

Glancing at the clock, Keith felt like he was running out of time so he flipped to the last few pages of writing and skimmed backwards looking for anything about Lotor, Sendak, Galra, peace treaties, or any keywords that would be suspicious. Spotting something about the gala, Keith took a risk and ripped out that and several other pages. He hoped there would be something in there to prove that Sanda was plotting against Lotor or Terra but he wouldn’t know until later.

He still wanted to check out the office, just to be safe, and he didn’t want to risk staying too much longer. He just had this feeling like he shouldn’t overstay and since his instincts had often proved right during the war he wasn’t going to dismiss them now. 

He placed everything back into the drawer that he wasn’t taking with him and then locked it. Double checking that it looked like he was never there, he walked to the door and then froze, his ears twitching at a noise in the hall. 

His eyes darted to the hall door on the other side of the living room and then to the office. He hadn’t had a chance to lock it. But he didn’t think he’d have the time needed to sneak across the room, get inside the office and lock the door before whoever was in the hall came in. And if they were heading to the office there would be nowhere for Keith to hide. He’d just have to hope that they weren’t going to the office or they wouldn’t notice it wasn’t locked. 

He had just enough time to close the bedroom door halfway like it was when he arrived and to consider if under the bed or the closet was the better hiding option before the door to the hall opened. 

“You need to convince Prince Takashi to approve this plan. I don’t know why he continues to be so stubborn about it,” Sanda said as she stepped into the room followed by heavier steps. 

Under the bed it was. The closet entrance ran the chance of being in view from the living room. He raised up the skirt of the bed, and slid under it, thankful that the servants kept the area dust free. He could also hear better from under the bed since it was clear Sanda was with someone.

“Even I can’t shift my brother when he thinks his decision is the best one,” Kuro said. 

Keith cursed in his head at Kuro being with Sanda. But he had to trust that he had read Kuro right and that he was loyal to his brother and the peace treaty and wasn’t in league with Sanda and Sendak. 

“Don’t you want to keep your brother safe? It’s what you’re always saying. And reinforcing both the imperial guards at the palace and the Atlas Garrison with the regular military troops would help do so.” 

“As the minister in charge of overseeing the Garrison and the imperial guards, you should know better than anyone that they don’t overstep their boundaries and that the general military is not allowed inside of the city.”

“It’s an ancient law back from the times when every noble kept their own personal military. But now all of the nobles and militaries are loyal to the crown and not a threat to it.” 

Kuro sighed and Keith could hear him walking back and forth. “While I’d like more guards on hand in case anything goes wrong, we still need to protect our borders and keep an eye on the foreign troops who will be stationed outside of the city.”

“So you’re siding with your brother?” Sanda asked, sounding disappointed. 

“I always do. Unless you can convince me that there’s some true threat that we need to actively protect against, I think the imperial guard and the Garrison can handle it.” 

“I have more detailed plans drawn up on rotations and placements of guards and why reinforcing their numbers would be useful,” Sanda said. 

“Alright. Let’s see if you can convince me. Is something wrong?” Kuro asked. 

Keith cursed in his head again and reached out to make sure that the fabric was laying properly and wouldn’t give his hiding spot away. He had a feeling that his unlocked door had just been discovered. 

“I always leave this locked.” 

“Could a servant have left it unlocked?” Kuro asked. 

“No. They would have had no reason to go in there.”

Keith heard the door of the office open and then steps as they walked around the living room in a slower, more assessing manner. 

He’d risk the window but they were three floors up and while he had faith in his climbing ability it was the middle of the day and Sanda’s room overlooked a popular area to walk in. There was no way he wouldn’t be seen.

If it was just Sanda in here, Keith might still risk it, or at least risk fighting his way out. In that scenario, he couldn’t chance Sanda thinking it better to deal with a dead son of the ambassador than whatever Keith may have discovered. But with Kuro here, he doubted his life would be immediately at risk. So it was better to stay still and silent and hope he was overlooked than risk being seen attempting to escape. 

“It doesn’t seem like anything in your office was disturbed. Perhaps it just didn’t lock right after you left. The palace is getting up there in age and it’s always small things like locks that get overlooked for maintenance,” Kuro said. 

“Someone could have broken in and stolen information on the palace security. I don’t think we should risk blaming faulty locks and not investigating further.”

“You’re right. Sorry. It would just be nice if things didn’t keep piling up against us. I told my brother it was foolish to host the peace gala and not let Altea do it. Let’s search your room. Make sure nothing was taken and that the thief or spy still isn’t here.”

They were quiet for a moment and then Keith heard movement again. Chances of them not checking under the bed were low and Keith wondered if it was better to wait to be found or present himself with some excuse now. 

He racked his brain for a plausible excuse but didn’t come up with anything before he heard steps enter the bedroom. It felt like the air around him was vibrating with tension and he could feel his hair actually starting to rise before it all seemed to crest and he felt himself be shocked. 

“Ow!” He said despite his need to be quiet. But he wasn’t expecting to be jolted with lightning magic. 

Before he even had time to regret his mistake, a large hand grabbed his foot and then the other one and he was dragged out from under the bed. He didn’t fight against it. Fighting would get him nowhere at this point and as long as Kuro would listen to him everything would still work out okay. Just not ideally since he’d end up getting a long lecture from both Kolivan and Lotor this way. He also risked losing the princes’ tentative trust in him if what he had on him wasn’t enough to convince them that Sanda was a danger to them.

“Keith?!” Kuro said in surprise once he’d pulled Keith out from under the bed and Keith had rolled over onto his back. 

“Uhh… hi?” He said.

“You found him? The Galra? I should have known. Were you planning on using the information to harm our princes? Were your seduction tactics not going well enough for the emperor?” Sanda demanded. 

Keith snorted. If he wanted to seduce the princes, he was pretty sure he could have already. He didn’t know what it was about him, but apparently, both princes were intrigued by him and enjoyed spending time alone with him. If he wanted them dead, he could have easily killed one or both of them at this point. 

He didn’t understand it, but he wasn’t completely oblivious to it either. He just hoped whatever soft spot Kuro had for him meant that he would listen and not just believe Sanda’s accusations. 

“I’m not seducing your princes,” Keith said. “And it’s not me you need to worry about, Kuro.” 

Kuro looked at Keith for a moment and then up at Sanda. It was clear he didn’t enjoy the accusations being tossed around but it was hard to defend someone he just caught hiding under the minister’s bed. 

“What’s going on Keith?”

“I want to see your brother,” Keith said. He hoped that Sanda would think to use the larger meeting to her advantage. She had years of loyal service on her side after all. And Keith only had what he saw and what he hoped was proof in his pocket.

“Even the prince’s fondness for you can’t save you. He’ll only see what a mistake it was to put his trust in the hands of a half-breed,” Sanda said. 

“Sanda!” Kuro chastised. He reached down to help Keith up, but he also kept a hold of his wrist even after he was standing. Apparently, while Kuro was ready to defend him from Sanda, he wasn’t quite ready to trust him. Keith would have been disappointed if he had, so he let Kuro keep his grip on him and didn’t try to resist as he was led out of the room. 

“I hope you know this doesn’t look good for you, Keith. And it won’t look good for your father, either,” Kuro explained as they walked down the hall, presumably to wherever Shiro was. 

“I understand,” he said. 

“You’re not even going to give me a hint of what you were doing in there? I can’t help you if I don’t know how.” 

Keith managed a small smile at Kuro for being so kind to him. Unless he was truly plotting to hurt his brother, Keith imagined that Kuro would do his best to shield him from the worst punishments stealing from a minister might entail. “Thank you. But I’ll be fine.” 

Sanda huffed in front of them and picked up her pace. “You say that now. But after Prince Shiro hears what you’ve been up to, you and the ambassador will both regret trying to cross us. We invited you here for the purpose of peace.”

“Sanda. Enough. We’ll all have a chance to speak once we’re with Takashi. He should still be in the meeting with the others. And sorry, Keith, the ambassadors are there, too.” 

Keith winced a little at that but there was no way Kolivan wasn’t going to hear about this. And the more people the better as far as Keith was concerned. He was going to bring Sanda down or at least plant enough doubt in everyone’s minds to make sure she was watched and they were on alert for Sendak. He didn’t care if he spent the gala in the prisons as long as everyone survived it. 

“Ryou, back so soon?” Shiro said, his voice friendly. Keith figured it wouldn’t last. 

“We ran into a problem,” Kuro said before lightly tugging Keith out from behind him and Sanda. 

“Keith?” Shiro said and it was echoed down the table by his father. 

He didn’t look at Kolivan though, instead, he mustered up his courage and executed the best bow he could while Kuro still kept hold of his wrist. 

“Your Highness, Prince Takashi, I have done wrong against one of your ministers, but my intent was just. I’m here before you to accuse Minister Sanda of treason against the crown and against peace,” Keith said. He was proud that his voice held steady through that and he made sure not to smile when the expected ruckus broke out around the room. 

Shiro looked shocked but before Sanda could say anything, he held up his hand and silenced her. “I will hear what you have to say in a moment, Minister Sanda. But these are serious allegations and I will hear them.” His eyes flicked over to his brother and after a moment of silent communication, Kuro released him and went over to him. 

They spoke quietly for a moment, too soft to be heard even with Galra ears in a quiet room, and Keith wondered if they were using magic to keep the conversation private. He kept an eye on the people in the room, nobody seemed ready to attack though several people were clearly on edge. A couple guards had moved to the block the doors but while they were on alert, they weren’t yet acting aggressively. It gave Keith hope that he really would be listened to and they’d be ready to handle Sanda. 

“Keith,” Shiro said, getting everyone’s attention again. “The allegations you have levelled against my minister are serious ones. If you’ve made it up only to avoid punishment for being in her rooms, you will find your punishment for these lies even more severe.” 

“I swear I’m not making anything up. I had my suspicions and I broke into her room to prove them.” 

“Then tell us what led to these suspicions and if you found anything. And while I can’t hope that you did since that would mean my own minister betraying me, for your sake, I hope all of this is true,” Shiro said. 

Keith wasn’t used to the serious tone and hard look in Shiro’s eyes when he’d only seen the prince be open and friendly to him. But it was more than enough to remind Keith that Shiro was a prince who was forged in war just as much as Lotor was. He slid his gaze to Kuro who had taken his seat beside his brother and saw the same fierce look, though Keith thought there was a hint of amusement there, too. 

Keith doubted it was because Kuro so blindly believed his claim so much as it was Kuro just enjoyed a bit of chaos. The younger twin always struck him as being a bit wilder and up for danger and adventure. 

Hopefully, he had enough on him to prove that Sanda was what we said. Kolivan would believe him without further proof, but none of the humans would. He wasn’t sure about the Altean ambassador but at least she’d provide a neutral party if nothing else. 

“Your Highnesses, the other day, I was out with Kosmo and we spotted someone leaving the palace in a hurry. They left out a secretive back entrance. It seemed odd and struck me as wrong so I followed. Kosmo made it easy and we found ourselves on the roof of a stable of a bar near the edge of the city. I couldn’t see inside but I heard Sanda talking to someone. When they left, I saw that it was Sendak.”

More than one person made a noise of distaste at the name. Keith was relieved that Sendak was notorious and reviled even here in Atlas. 

“Are you sure?” Shiro asked. 

“Sendak has a very distinct appearance. He’s hard to miss. I’ve also crossed him in person and know for a fact that he does not believe that Emperor Lotor should lead the Galra,” Keith said. 

“Your Highness, on this, I can back up Keith’s claims. As can any of my staff. Sendak is well known to all of the Galra, both from the way he looks and his ruthlessness,” Kolivan said. 

Keith spared his father a quick look and nod before turning back to the princes. 

“A meeting with a commander of Zarkon’s does not look good. But at the moment it will be your word against hers,” Shiro said. 

“Do you know the name of the tavern?” Kuro asked. 

“The Purple Lion.” He thought it a silly name because even with all the myths and legends about sacred beasts that all of the countries seemed to have, he’d never heard of one that spoke of a purple lion before. 

Kuro nodded and then a quick gesture to a couple of guards had them slipping out of the room, two others quietly replacing them. Keith bet they were off to that tavern to investigate but he doubted he’d find anyone who would talk. No matter how vibrant and beautiful a city, there was always that one area where unsavoury citizens gathered and would only pay attention to others if they thought they would profit off of it. Nobody had ever profited off of noticing Sendak. 

“I managed to find some papers. I didn’t get a chance to check her office. But her bedside table has a fake bottom to the drawer. These were inside of it.” Keith pulled out the papers tucked into his jacket and held them out. He prayed that what was in them was enough to convince the princes that Sanda was a danger to them and the peace. 

As he was about to step forward to either put them on the table or hand them to the princes, a gust of air plucked them from his hand and brought them over directly into Shiro’s hand. Keith blinked. He knew what Shiro’s powers were but it still amazed him to see them in person. Even in a dire situation like this, Keith could spare a moment to appreciate the skill and power doing such precise work with wind had to have entailed. 

Besides, if he was thinking about Shiro’s ability with wind, he didn’t have to think about the way the princes were going over the papers and what they may think of them. 

“Minister Sanda, may we ask why you have letters written in code?” Kuro asked as he placed a paper on the table.

“I find it safer. I can write more freely about my thoughts and feelings when I don’t have to worry about the wrong people accidentally seeing and understanding them,” she said. Her voice was even and she projected a stoic front but Keith could smell the barest hint of nerves from her. He bet Kolivan could, too. 

“Would you care to tell us what this page says then?” Kuro asked. 

Sanda stepped forward and looked down at the paper, her nervousness increased but she still didn’t show it outwardly. It was clear why she had risen in the ranks to become a general. She was good at keeping a calm facade. 

“Just my thoughts on the upcoming peace gala and how much work there was to be done and my worries,” she said. 

Keith suspected that it wasn’t a complete lie and that’s what sold it so well. But he doubted it was as innocent as that. 

“And who is it these letters are to and from?”

“A distant cousin I have always felt close to but who lives quite far from here. He always gives good advice. I hadn’t yet found the time to send that letter and even wondered if I should before the gala. I didn’t want to risk anything,” She explained without missing a beat.

“Of course. And what’s your response to what Keith has said?” Kuro asked. 

“He’s either trying to sabotage our hard-won peace or he’s a bored omega with an overactive imagination and not enough to keep him occupied. Perhaps his father should consider sending him home and finding a mate to keep him busy,” Sanda said, letting her annoyance at Keith show through this time. 

“So you deny meeting with Sendak or keeping communications with him or anyone we consider an enemy?” 

Keith found it odd that Kuro was doing all of the talking but nobody else did. So maybe when it came to security, Shiro let his brother lead the way. 

“Of course not, Your Highness. My loyalty is to the people of Atlas and all of Terra.”

“I’ve heard enough,” Shiro said. 

He stood from his chair, tossing the other papers Keith had taken onto the table next to the others. Keith saw Sanda go pale and Kolivan’s fingers flexed as if ready to catch her in case she tried anything.

“Sanda, you will be removed from your post and confined to a new set of rooms while we look over yours for more information about what you’ve been doing. We will decide your fate once we have as much information as we can get,” Shiro said. 

As Shiro spoke, Sanda lost the last of her resolve. Keith could see the way her posture shifted to become more defensive, her scent spiking and causing his nose to twitch. 

“Your Highness, you don’t understand. I was doing this for the people. Lotor isn’t respected by the Galra. He’s going to be overthrown,” Sanda ignored the growls that came from Keith and Kolivan at that. “Sendak is going to become their leader and a return to war is inevitable. But if we help him, we can maintain some independence.”

“Your years of loyalty and service will be noted when we consider your punishments. If there’s nothing else…” 

“You’re siding with a Galra half-breed omega over me? You’ll lead us into disaster. And for what? Because you want to bed him? I’m sure Sendak would let you keep him. Especially if you ally with him now and help him destroy Lotor and those loyal,” Sanda hissed out. 

Keith was used to having his omega trait used as an insult against him and didn’t even flinch when he heard them coming from Sanda. He wasn’t surprised though he was disappointed. In a twisted way, he could admire her motives. But her reasoning was flawed, they would never let Lotor or his ambitions for the Galra people come to harm, and Sendak could not be trusted. 

“Take her away,” Shiro said. He didn’t give her the satisfaction of responding to her words and continued to stare down at her coolly as guards came to escort her to her new rooms. 

When the door closed behind her, silencing her protests, Shiro turned to look back at Keith. And slowly, he got to see Shiro’s stern and dangerous look melt away into the more open face he was used to. The hard look might send a secret thrill through Keith, but he had to admit that Shiro’s gentle face was the one that made butterflies flutter in his stomach. 

“It seems I owe you a debt for bringing such treachery to light, Keith.”

“It was as much for the benefit of the Galra as it was Terra. Besides, my father is always telling me that my curiosity can be insatiable at times, Your Highness. I’m just glad it could be put to good use this time,” Keith said politely, aware that the room was still tense. 

“Be that as it may, if you find yourself in need of anything, please do not hesitate to ask. I owe you a favour if nothing else,” Shiro said.

“You honour me,” Keith said and gave a small bow of acknowledgement at getting a favour he didn’t want and hopefully never needed. 

Shiro gave him a nod and then turned back to the table. “Now that we’re aware of Minister Sanda’s treasonous actions we need to find out just how deep this treachery goes and review all of our plans for the peace gala. We cannot afford any risk to security,” Shiro said.

There were murmurings around the table ranging from shocked to worried to exhausted. But for now, none of that was Keith’s problems. He’d unmasked the viper in Shiro’s midst. It was up to him to weed out anymore rot from his court and make sure everything was set for the gala. 

“I’ll give everyone an hour to review their notes and double check anything Sanda may have touched. We’ll reconvene then.” 

Everyone acknowledged the order, standing and bowing before leaving until it was just the princes, Kolivan, and himself. 

“Ambassador Kolivan, I’d hate to impose rules upon your son, but for his safety and for the peace of mind of my court, I’d like you to have him confined to his rooms. He will be allowed to continue his lessons as long as a guard escorts him to and from the school. But other than that, I think it best he stays out of sight for now. He will be allowed out again once your emperor arrives.” 

Keith frowned at that and was about to protest that it was stupid and that he wasn’t in danger and was the one stopping it but Kolivan’s heavy hand on his shoulder had him snapping his mouth closed. 

“We understand. It’s a delicate situation right now and we don’t wish to foster any more distrust between our people,” Kolivan said much more diplomatically than Keith ever could. 

“Good. I will see you in an hour, Ambassador.” 

Kolivan bowed and forced Keith to do so, too. Before leading him out of the room. He looked back over his shoulder at the princes but they were already leaning close together, lost in discussion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I take my pleasure where I can find it, and a bad pun/joke/absolute horrible wordplay as a chapter title just makes me chuckle. I promise Keith is not a false bottom. 
> 
> So the plot is truly well underway but poor Keith is stuck in his rooms until Lotor arrives... 
> 
> I'm hoping to have everything wrapped up with one more chapter but if it starts getting too long I may shift some of it into a fifth chapter.


	4. Why Are You Here?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The countdown is over and it's time for the Gala. Everyone, assemble.

It’d been several days since he’d had Sanda arrested and he was still feeling angered about the betrayal and paranoid about who else disagreed with how he had come to find peace. He also didn’t like that he had confined Keith to his rooms. But it was necessary since his actions caused his ministers to be suspicious of him and it also allowed Shiro a way to protect him. While he was in the ambassador’s suite of rooms it would be much more difficult for Keith to get into trouble or have trouble find him. Of course, Keith was allowed to continue his magic training as long as he was escorted by a pair of guards. Terra’s ways meant that it didn’t matter how rich or poor you were or if you were free or imprisoned, you had to learn to control your magic. An untrained mage was a danger to themselves and others. 

Shiro hoped that being able to leave his rooms for lessons, even without all of the freedom he had before, would be enough to keep the omega from going stir crazy. Keith was certainly more than he seemed, but Shiro had never seen him as a typical omega. Perhaps he’d underestimated just how much there was to learn about Keith, but he didn’t feel like Keith wanted harm to fall upon Terra or their princes. His ministers weren’t as convinced so being forced to stay in his rooms until Lotor’s arrival was deemed suitable punishment for the omega and a good compromise. 

Shiro debated going to visit him but knew it would reflect poorly on him to do so since he was the one that had issued the punishment. That hadn’t stopped him from walking nearly all of the way to the ambassador’s rooms though. He sighed and paused to look back at his guards who were respectfully following him a few paces away. “I think I’ll check on the suites for our royal guests,” Shiro said. 

They were arriving in a few days and while Shiro trusted that they were all prepared according to everyone’s standards, it wouldn’t hurt to take a quick look in on them. He also didn’t want to want to return to his own rooms just yet. 

“I won’t be long, you may wait here,” Shiro said to his guards as he stopped in front of the door that should lead to the reception room of Lotor’s suite of rooms. He pulled out the master key and used it to unlock the door before stepping inside. 

He knew his guards wouldn’t like being left in the hall, but he wasn’t expecting trouble and he wasn’t defenseless. Besides, he just wanted a few minutes alone. It seemed like since Sanda’s treachery had been uncovered someone was always glued to his side to keep watch over him. And while he didn’t normally mind his brother, he needed a break even from him. 

His hand moved along the wall, looking for the switch that would power the lights on in this and the main sitting room. It required a bit of magic to activate but any of the servants assigned to Lotor for his stay would be able to do so for him. The lights flickered on slowly and Shiro stepped further into the suite of rooms. He left the reception room behind and walked into the main room that would be where Lotor actually met with people and did his work. It was suitably appointed and had enough furniture in various formations throughout that he thought it would suit whatever purpose Lotor needed from it. 

He turned to check on the first of several bedrooms of the suite when he felt eyes on him. He drew in his power, preparing to defend if needed as he turned around. 

“Your Highness, It’s dangerous to be alone right now,” Keith said. He was leaning against the doorframe that led into the large office. He didn’t seem put out by being discovered in a place he wasn’t technically supposed to be. But maybe Keith was used to being in strange places thanks to his wolf. Still, Keith was supposed to be in his own rooms, not those of his emperor. 

“Why do I keep finding you in dubious situations? It’s bound to make an alpha prince suspicious,” Shiro said. He noted movement behind Keith and tensed before seeing Kosmo emerge from the shadows of the office. 

“Haven’t I already proved that I’m working for peace, not against it?” 

“Just because you’re working for peace, doesn’t mean you’re working in Terra’s best interest.” Shiro hoped that Keith was but he couldn’t be naive enough to not even question Keith’s motives. 

Tension filled the space between them before Keith let out a long breath. He carefully, and oh so slowly moved off of the wall and further into the sitting room where Shiro was. “I know I’m not the stereotypical omega,” He said. 

The words made Shiro think of their time in the music room and how Keith had seemed a bit bashful about not being quite the omega that Shiro was looking for. Shiro hadn’t cared then and he still didn’t. He just needed to know that Keith was safe. Safe to be around his people, around him, to be trusted with a tentative peace, and was safe from others. 

“I know,” Shiro said finally, keeping his magic tightly coiled but only in case of defence. He so badly wanted to believe in Keith. But he couldn’t let instincts and desires lead him completely. 

“But I still want what omegas want. I want this peace, Shiro. I’ve spent my whole life surrounded by war and wondering if those I called family and friends would be there the next day. I want to be able to settle down into calm and happy days. I won’t even complain if they’re boring if everyone I know can be safe,” Keith said. 

And there was so much passion and pain behind those words that Shiro didn’t even have it in him to tease him about not complaining about being bored. He so wanted to believe those words. Because they were echoes of what he felt in his own heart. 

“Keith…” He said. But was unsure where to go. He wanted to be the one to give Keith that peace and happiness. It would bring him pleasure to give Keith a home, a family… but so many people relied on him to lead with reason and not just his instincts and heart. 

“I swear, Shiro. You and your brother can trust me. I’m half Galra, but I’m half human, too. I’m in here because I’m worried… well and my rooms were getting really boring,” Keith said. 

Shiro looked at Keith, the open and hopeful look on his face, the quirked up corner of his mouth to show that he knew he left himself open to teasing and most of all, the softness of his eyes. His eyes never failed to draw Shiro in and this time was no different. 

He nodded and closed the distance between them, letting go of his coiled magic and resting a hand on Keith’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze before letting it fall to his side. “I thought you could handle boring for peace,” Shiro said since it was what was expected. 

“I can. But we don’t have peace guaranteed yet. Sanda showed that we’re still vulnerable. I don’t think Sendak would target your or Princess Allura. Both of your kingdoms are pretty stable politically and even if people wanted revenge for you or the princess’ death I don’t think it would bring the three of us into war again. Alteans lean more towards diplomacy and peace anyway and Kuro would stop at nothing to get your killer and those involved but only them. He wouldn’t blame everyone for the actions of a few.” 

Shiro nodded. He knew his brother could be more ruthless than he could be, but he also trusted his brother to know where to focus that aggression. Even in the middle of the war when certain things could be overlooked he never heard any report about Kuro taking things too far with civilians or abusing the innocent. If the worst came to pass, he knew Terra would be in safe hands. 

“So that leaves Lotor as the target.”

“Yeah. He doesn’t really have an heir that everyone agrees on yet. So distant relatives and high ranking over ambitious officers and nobles are going to be fighting it out for the throne. And during that time, everyone will be pointing figures at you for letting it happen. And the war will start again. It doesn’t matter who takes the throne, they’ll either want to go to war and expand territory. Or they’ll be forced to by the circumstances.”

“Are things in Galra that chaotic?” 

Keith hesitated and looked away for a moment as if wrestling with how much to tell Shiro. It was understandable and Shiro waited patiently. There were certain things you just didn’t want rulers of other kingdoms to know about. The inner workings of the court and any problems within it were high up on that list. 

“Zarkon ruled with an iron fist. It allowed a lot of toxicity to develop in the court. We’ve tried to clean it up but there’s still a lot of work ahead of us. Securing peace is the first large step in securing his reign but it’s not without risks,” Keith admitted, surprising Shiro with his blunt honesty of the situation. 

“Because someone, probably Sendak, is trying to remove him?” 

“Sendak has always disliked Lotor. Probably because he thought he had a chance at being named heir once Lotor was exiled from court. His anger and resentment run deep and that can lead to desperate plans.” 

Shiro nodded. He understood that while desperate plans might be risky and foolish, they could also succeed because they were harder to predict. But that still didn’t explain just what Keith was doing breaking out of his room to be here. 

“And you’re in his rooms because…?”

“I know everyone has done security checks and planned for everything. But I feel better just doing one for myself. I want to make sure I know all of the ways in and out of his rooms,” Keith said. “For security!” There was a red colour creeping up his cheeks to deepen the purple of his skin and it took Shiro a moment to realize why. 

Oh, right, an omega wanting to know all of the ways into and out of an alpha’s room was certainly something that would bring up questions. Though most omegas didn’t have a mystical wolf that could teleport you directly where you wanted to go. So this time, Shiro would give Keith the benefit of the doubt. “Of course. But do you really think someone will target his rooms?”

“Not really. But I can’t exactly check out the ballroom when I’m stuck in my rooms. This gave me something to do without anyone knowing I was breaking out… well at least until a certain crown prince found me. You’re not going to tell Kolivan, are you?” And in that one sentence, Keith went from a mysterious and tempting omega to an adorable one worried about his father. Shiro would have called him cute if he didn’t think Keith would set his clothes on fire for it. 

“He won’t hear this from me. But you should probably try following the rules for once. At least until the Gala.” 

“Will you come visit? I still owe you a dance lesson,” Keith said. 

It still wasn’t wise to be seen going to Keith in his rooms but what better way to keep any eye on Keith than to keep him busy with dancing? And he knew that Kuro tried to visit Keith once a day so he didn’t see why he should keep his distance. Just because his ministers were getting more and more paranoid each day closer to the gala they got to, didn’t mean he had to join them. 

He was the crown prince, and while he couldn’t always do what he wanted, he could certainly visit the ambassador’s rooms for a couple of hours without disaster befalling the kingdom.

He trusted Keith despite his secrets and he wanted to spend time with him. “And I believe I’m still in need of it. How about in an hour? Unless it’s too late.” He didn’t want to seem improper but the evenings were when he had the most free time. 

“No. It will be fine. I’ll tell Antok and he can help move the furniture around for us,” Keith said. He gave Shiro a large smile that Shiro swore stopped his heart completely and before he could remember how to use words, Keith and his wolf had disappeared from the room. 

-0-0-0-0-

In the days leading up to the peace gala, several unconfirmed sightings of Sendak had been reported, Minister Sanda still refused to talk, and Keith was finally freed from his confinement as Lotor arrived in Atlas. 

Keith was a little annoyed at him because he thought Lotor should have stayed in Daibazaal where it was relatively safe because it was obvious to him that Sendak wanted Lotor dead and that the princes were still scrambling to figure out how far Sanda’s treachery went. 

It was even more annoying because he wasn’t allowed to help with anything despite being the one to expose Sanda’s treason. 

He’d passed his time focusing on his magic studies and helping Kolivan with what work he’d given him. But the days crawled by. Even visits from the princes or some of the friends he’d somehow made during his time here, didn’t really help alleviate his boredom and desire to do something. 

So even if he was annoyed that Lotor still decided to show up for the peace gala, he was happy to see him. It meant the end of his exile to his rooms for one thing. 

After the official greetings between royalty was finished and Lotor turned to Kolivan to greet him, Keith broke ranks to run up to him and grab him in a big hug. It was breaking about ten different protocols but Keith didn’t care. He was free and Lotor was here and safe. 

Besides, he’d waited until after he was done with the important and formal greetings.

“Lotor! I missed you,” He said. He felt Lotor’s arms wrap around him, returning the hug. 

“I can tell. Though I think you’ll be less happy after the lecture Kolivan gives you,” Lotor warned.

“He won’t give me a lecture when you’re still around so we’ll just have to stick together. Come on. I’ll show you to your rooms and tell you about Atlas. It’s beautiful here,” Keith said. He let go of Lotor only to take his hand, undoubtedly breaking more protocols and started dragging him along into the palace. 

His entourage and the palace staff assigned to assist him were left scrambling to catch up but Keith didn’t care. And if the mischievous smile on Lotor’s face was anything to go by he didn’t care either. 

“I’m glad you’ve been enjoying your stay here. Kolivan says your studies have been going well, too,” Lotor said managing to tug Keith back in line beside him so he wasn’t being dragged through the halls. 

“I was a little worried about them. But the lessons have been really useful with learning more about myself and my powers. They’re a lot more impressive now. And I’m a lot less likely to singe eyebrows off people if I get annoyed.” 

“Both good things. And how about the princes?” Lotor asked, tone suspiciously light and neutral. 

Keith paused in the hall to look at him causing all of the people trailing behind them to trip over themselves at the sudden stop. 

“What about them?”

“Kolivan has mentioned they are fond of you. And they certainly didn’t seem to appreciate our greeting,” Lotor said. 

Keith hadn’t thought to look over at the princes but he was sure they’d had some stupid possessive alpha expression on their faces. He sighed and started walking again, tugging Lotor along. “They’re fine. But they’re idiots. They think we’re courting or something. I keep telling them we’re not like that.” Keith knew it was the casual way he spoke of the emperor and all of the gifts and clothes he had that were either from Lotor or had his emblems on them but it just meant they were close, not that they were lovers. 

Lotor gave a soft chuckle, “Keith, alphas who have found an interesting omega they are thinking about courting see everyone else, no matter how ridiculous, as a threat.” 

“They’re still idiots.” 

“But are they idiots I’m going to lose you to? I was hoping you’d be back in Daibazaal soon to assist me, but I suppose there are advantages to you being courted by a prince or two,” Lotor said. 

“Lotor!”

Lotor laughed and only laughed harder when Keith nudged him. Keith may have punched him in the arm if there weren’t about twenty people following them who would take it the wrong way. 

“I’ll support your decision no matter what you choose, Keith. If you wish to return, I win by having you by my side. If you wish to stay and explore things with the princes than I win by having someone so loyal to me being joined with Terra.” 

“Can we not talk about this right now?” Keith asked, knowing his face was bright red. “Besides, we made it to your rooms. They’re nice. Though there are a couple security problems I think you should know about.” Keith pushed open the door and gestured for Lotor to go first. 

It didn’t take them long to tour the rooms and settle in the inner receiving room with all but Lotor’s most trusted generals locked out and waiting in the outer receiving rooms. Keith was going over one more time everything he’d managed to learn about Sendak and Sanda and his concerns for the gala and Lotor’s safety. He wished he had more information to share but there was only so much he could do when he was forcibly kept out of everything and locked away in his rooms. 

“You worry too much, Keith. We know the risks and we’re all keeping a close eye on the emperor. Trust us to do our jobs,” Acxa said from where she was leaning against a far wall. 

“I’m not suggesting any of us become careless or complacent but from what Kolivan has said, the palace has taken even more precautions since discovering Sendak is plotting something. I’m not sure how much more protection you could offer, Keith,” Lotor said. 

“I just like to help. I’ve been sitting around feeling useless for weeks now,” He said, venting some of his frustrations out on Lotor. 

“You’ve been learning. Which may seem tedious to you since you’ve never undergone such formal training before, but your skills will be far more useful once you’re finished. Besides, the forced stay in your rooms has ensured that you’ve been mostly out of sight and out of mind of people. They’re likely to start seeing you again as nothing more than a half-Galra omega that’s easily dismissed.” 

Keith made a face at being so easily misjudged like that. It’s not like he wanted people to know that he was skilled as a spy and an assassin but he didn’t like to be thought of as weak and needing protecting either. 

“Don’t make that face, Keith. It works to our advantage.”

“Yeah. People always see me coming. But a little thing like you, you can sneak right up and stab them in the heart because they always forget to look down,” Zethrid said with a laugh that did nothing to help Keith’s frown. 

“Though, I’m not sure you should be at the gala. Your mating cycle is due to start soon,” Lotor said. 

Keith felt himself blush again. Mating cycles were natural and hard to hide since scent always gave it away even when nothing else did, but it was still weird having Lotor know when his cycle was and so casually talk about it. Usually only close family or mates kept track of that. Kolivan said it was an alpha thing and that while most didn’t broadcast their knowledge of mating cycles, most alphas knew all of the cycles of any omega they were close to. 

So it was sweet that Lotor considered him close enough to care about his cycles. But it was still a bit awkward to have him mention it. 

“I’ll be fine. I’ll only be in pre-heat then and I’ve done worse than dance and keep an eye out for anyone suspicious when like that,” Keith said. If the gala was the following night, he might actually consider taking Lotor’s advice and stay in his rooms. But he was willing to risk a few rude alphas and odd looks in early pre-heat to help ensure peace. 

“Perhaps. But the point is, the war is over, you no longer need to push yourself quite so hard,” Lotor said. 

“Peace won’t be official until all three of you sign those contracts at the gala. It’s worth every hardship to make sure it happens.”

Lotor considered Keith for a long moment before giving in with a small tilt of his head. “Fine. But I’d like you to keep close. No hunting down things on your own. You let one of us or Kolivan know, alright?” 

Keith could work with that so he nodded and Lotor seemed to relax into his chair at getting Keith’s word that he wouldn’t be as reckless as usual. 

“And I guess since you’re going, I should pass along the present your mother sent to me to give to you,” Lotor said. He then turned to Acxa and asked her to get the box. 

Keith was curious about what sort of present his mother might bring and was surprised to see such a large box being carried back in from the other room. “What is it?” He asked. 

“Open it and find out. I believe the surprise is half the fun of these sort of things.” 

Keith thanked Acxa as he took the box and carefully worked off the ribbon before opening the lid of it. Inside of it was a deep maroon coat that was even more ridiculously flashy than the one Lotor had gifted him to wear for Kolivan’s reception party to Atlas.

“Uhhhh…” He said trying to think of something nice to say about it. He could tell it was fine quality but it wasn’t really the type of gift he expected from his mother.

“The jacket is designed to have the flared skirt attached. If you lift it a little, you can see it better,” Lotor said, not bothered by Keith’s lack of excitement at the present. 

Keith lifted up the top part so he could see that it did indeed attach to the many-layered skirt part expected of omega clothes. He also now could understand why his mother had gifted him this. “I’ll have to write her a thank you later.” 

“I’m sure she’ll appreciate that. So now that that’s out of the way, perhaps you’d like my generals to catch you up on everything you’ve missed?” 

Keith smiled at the question. When it came to Lotor’s generals, once they were done talking strategy, they were the first ones to share all of the news and gossip and Ezor always had the best gossip. Half of the time, Keith refused to believe it was real until Narti confirmed if it was true or not. 

“Sounds great. Let me order us some refreshments first.” He set the box back down and jumped to his feet, happy to find a servant to get snacks and drinks for his friends and pretend for just an hour or so that the biggest event in history wasn’t days away from happening and severely at risk from a foe they couldn’t pin down. 

 

-0-0-0-0-

Keith gave a slight shake of his head and immediately stopped fidgeting when he felt Kolivan’s eyes on him. He was fine. He just felt a bit antsy. Pre-heat always made him feel like his skin didn’t quite fit right and every hour closer he got to his real heat it became harder to get comfortable and to stay still. The tight and heavy ornate clothing he was wearing wasn’t helping either. 

But it was worth battling against the needs of his body to bear witness to the three young rulers of their kingdoms coming together and signing a historic peace treaty. At points, it seemed like the tentative peace between them would shatter before they could reach this point but finally, all of the details had been agreed upon and the dream was becoming a reality. 

They sat at the head of the room on a raised dais as aides moved around papers and made sure they had everything they needed for the signing. After all three copies of the treaty had been signed by all three rulers, they set their pens down and stood up from the table. The large ballroom broke into applause and Keith couldn’t help but smile. But he forced his eyes away from the handsome and regal sight the three rulers made to look around the room instead. 

He could have sworn Sendak would have tried something before the treaty could be signed but so far nothing had happened. He doubted Sendak would give up just because Sanda had been found out, so it meant he could still strike at any time. Keith just wished he knew how. 

He knew all of the guards and staff were on high alert and that mages specializing in poisons and such had been brought in to test their food and drinks at several different points but Keith still couldn’t fully relax. And it wasn’t just the pre-heat hormones or the fact that he had somehow promised to dance with Shiro and Lotor for the ceremonial Galran and Terran dances. At least he had managed to escape dancing the Altean one in front of everyone. Though he had had to promise Kuro a dance later on. But that one would be with everyone allowed on the dance floor and not just the three royals and their dance partners. 

He didn’t actually want anything bad to happen at the gala but if Sendak was going to attack anyway, he sort of hoped it happened before he had to dance. He was sure Kolivan would just frown and say that he brought it on himself. He could have said no if he really didn’t want to dance with them in public like that, or have just stayed in his rooms since everyone would have understood the reason why. But a foolish part of him wanted to dance with Shiro and Lotor and meant he couldn’t say no when asked.

“Thank you once again to everyone who has come to witness the start of a new era. To celebrate the peace treaty signing and our new friendship, we will do a brief dance from each kingdom. So if you would please clear the dance floor,” Shiro said and there were murmurings as people moved off the dance floor to open enough space for the Royals. 

Keith knew the first dance would be the Altean one so he stepped back out of the way with Kolivan but made sure he had easy access to the dance floor as he’d be needed for the other two. It also let him keep a better eye on anything suspicious that might be happening. 

He spared a moment to watch an energetic looking blonde Altean join Shiro for the dance while Lotor was paired with someone from Terra. Princess Allura was with Kuro and they made a striking pair. Keith watched Allura and Kuro dance a moment longer than he meant to before looking back around the room. 

It was hard to notice if anything was out of place or not with so many people inside and the small army of staff that moved around them all. There were also the guards lining the walls and trying to be discreet as they casually moved around the room. So far, none of them seemed as if they didn’t belong and certainly nobody was a towering hulking mass of purple fur.

If Sendak chose to come here in person to do what he wanted, he wouldn’t be using subterfuge to do it. Which made Keith’s gaze shifted higher up to the balconies and windows that overlooked the ballroom that could be used as access points. He wished he would have been invited into the security talks so he knew the layout better and knew where the guards were posted. But even Kolivan wasn’t privy to everything and there was no way they’d let his troublemaker son into those types of meetings. 

All too soon, the Altean song ended and it was time for Keith’s turn. As the audience applauded the couples bowed a farewell to their partner and Keith took a calming breath before stepping up to Lotor and giving him a bow. 

“Try not to spin me so hard today,” Keith whispered as they moved into the starting pose. 

Lotor gave a small grin, “I just forgot how light you were. And that’s why we practiced. So I won’t spin you into the crowd by accident.” 

“You spun me into a couch… well, over the couch,” Keith said. At least he had gone over the back so had had a soft landing on the couch itself. And then the two of them had spent the next ten minutes laughing and being completely useless. He really did hope this dance went better than that one. It was fun. But not something he needed everyone in here seeing. 

The music started and Lotor began carefully leading him around. “Anything suspicious yet?” 

“No. It seems everything is going perfectly to plan for the night,” Keith said and then was spun out and fortunately back in and not into the audience. 

“Then perhaps you will consider an early night?” 

“What? But what if something happens after I leave?”

“There are practically more guards here than guests. I’ll be fine. I did fight in a war. I know how to handle myself,” Lotor said and this time when he spun Keith out there was just a moment when Keith wasn’t sure he’d be reeled back in safely and he was positive Lotor did it just to be a brat. 

“I know you can fight. But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t let us protect you.” 

“I’m protected. My generals are watching me.” 

Keith sighed. It was hard winning battles with Lotor when he just seemed to have a completely logical and practical answer for everything. 

“I’ll consider it. I still have to dance with Shiro and Kuro though,” He said. 

“I’m not rushing you off to bed like a child, Keith. You’re a grown man. But you’re also an omega close to his heat. Retiring early may be wise. You can relax and get some sleep while you still can,” Lotor said. 

It was nice to not be seen as a child but Keith wasn’t sure being coddled for being an omega was much better. But Lotor wasn’t saying it would be every time just this time because he was close to his heat. And Keith had to admit the thought of leaving and having a nice long soak in the bath and snuggling into his blankets in bed was very tempting. 

“After I dance with Kuro and I say my goodnights, I’ll go,” Keith said. And he could feel Lotor relax a little under his hands. Alphas really did like to fuss far too much. 

“One last spin,” Lotor warned. And then he carefully spun Keith around as they turned in a circle. As he was spun in, he was tugged that little bit more to land against Lotor’s chest. They stayed like that a moment as the ending chord of the song drifted over them. It was easy enough to lean in just that extra little bit and take a deep breath of Lotor’s alpha scent. It was heady and both calmed him and spoke to something deeply instinctual and inappropriate for the dance floor. 

Keith felt lips press lightly on his forehead, near where some of the hair jewellery Lotor had got him rested, and then they parted and bowed to each other. “Thank you for the dance,” Lotor said. 

“It was my pleasure, Emperor Lotor,” Keith said remembering that they had an audience even if Lotor had helped him forget that he was being watched by so many people as they danced. 

Lotor kept Keith’s hand in his and walked him across the dance floor to Shiro where the two rulers exchanged nods and Lotor passed Keith’s hand to Shiro. “Enjoy your dance,” Lotor said before heading back to greet Kuro who would be his partner for the final dance. 

Acxa spared Keith a nod and a small smile as she made her way past them to greet Princess Allura as her partner for the final Galran dance. 

“Keith, you look very lovely tonight,” Shiro said after they had exchanged bows. 

“Thank you. You look handsome, too,” Keith said and wished he had something suaver to say. He was trying to learn diplomatic skills but it didn’t come easily to him. Fortunately, Shiro never seemed to mind his lack of polish. 

“Do you think my brother will survive his dance?” Shiro asked as he took up the starting pose with Keith. 

Keith spared them a quick glance and saw Lotor rearranging Kuro’s hands a little. The younger prince probably wasn’t used to not being in the lead role in a dance. “They’ll survive. I’m not sure about their feet or their egos,” Keith said. Two alphas dancing together was always tricky. But these two were royals and pretty stubborn so Keith figured it wouldn't be the smoothest of dances even if they still tried to make it seem like it was. 

Shiro gave a small chuckle at that and sent a smile over Keith’s head to what Keith assumed was his brother’s less than happy face. “Do you think I’ll fare better?” 

“You better after all the time I spent teaching you,” Keith said. He was a bit nervous about the dance, but not because he doubted Shiro’s dance skills. Dancing with Lotor was familiar and even dancing in front of people with Lotor wasn’t that strange. But he’d only danced the one time with Shiro in front of others and being in his arms without instructing each other was going to be a novel experience. 

“What did you have to do to get Kuro to dance with Lotor?” Keith asked, hoping the answer would distract him. 

“The ministers hinted quite strongly it would be a good show of faith between our kingdoms. I think he’s convincing himself it’s worth it since he has a chance to get to know Emperor Lotor better.” 

“So it was friendship and alpha posturing?”

“Mostly. Ready?”

Keith took a breath and nodded. Shiro looked at the other two pairs and raised his hand slightly. After a beat, the music started and Shiro pulled Keith a little closer to him as they began to move around the dance floor. Keith could catch glimpses of the other two couples moving around but did his best to tune them along with the crowd watching. He just needed to focus on Shiro and getting through the dance without embarrassing himself. 

He never liked being put on display in public but he knew what he was getting into when he accepted both Lotor and Shiro’s dance request. And while a little nervous he had made it through the dance with Lotor just fine. His only excuse was that his heat was causing him to react more strongly to things. It was annoying, but something he could push through. 

“Will you be retiring early tonight?” Shiro asked as they made their first successful circuit around the dance floor and they both began to relax more into the dance. 

Keith knew why Shiro asked and tried not to frown. He hadn’t mentioned the reason outright or even suggested that it was something Keith should do. And it wasn’t as if he wasn’t actually considering doing so. “Lotor and my father think it would be for the best if I did,” Keith said finally. 

“Hmm… I can see their point. But if you decide to stay, perhaps you’d allow me a second dance later?” 

Keith blinked up at Shiro, surprised that he hadn’t insisted on him heading to his room for the night. It was clear that Shiro still thought it was the wise thing to do but instead, he offered Keith a reason to stick close to him. It was sweet and a typical alpha thing to do. If the silly omega won’t go and rest in pre-heat than it’s better if he’s in Shiro’s arms than any other alpha’s. 

Still, Keith found he wasn’t angry about the thought of being in Shiro’s arms instead of someone else’s. He didn’t know Shiro well enough to just lean in and scent him like he did Lotor, but what he could smell as they stayed close and danced was amazing. It was possibly one of the best things he’d smelled all day. “I’d like that,” Keith said. 

“Really? Don’t feel obligated though. I know how draining galas can be at the best of times,” Shiro said. 

“I’ll be sure to find you to say goodbye if I leave early,” Keith said.

Despite telling Lotor he’d leave early it was something he still didn’t really want to do because even if everything was going smoothly he still felt better being here just in case. He couldn’t do anything tucked up in bed. 

“Thank you. So which group do you think will be the rowdiest tonight? The Galra, Alteans, or humans?” Shiro asked. 

Keith smiled at the easy way Shiro changed the topic and turned his head so he could look out at the crowd taking them all in. Right now, everyone was still on their best behaviour and only a bit of champagne had been distributed. But after the dances, the gala would have officially begun and food and alcohol would be flowing freely.

“Galrans certainly know how to party. But Lotor probably told them not to overdo it. And we’re also really good at respecting authority,” Keith said. 

“Alright, so it’s between the Alteans and my people. Though I fear I’m at a disadvantage since there are more humans here.”

Keith let his eyes roam to the Alteans and then around the room trying to spot any group that seemed as if they would be overly energetic as the night went on. His eyes caught movement from above and he looked up at one of the balconies but didn’t see anyone. “The upper balconies are empty, right?” 

“Yes. There are guards stationed at each entrance to keep the balconies cleared. And I’m sure you know why they’re there.” 

Keith did. Normally balconies made for a great place for private conversations or to watch people dance and interact on the ballroom floor below without immediately being seen. But it had been decided the risk outweighed the guests’ enjoyment of them so they were closed to everyone tonight. 

Thinking he saw movement again, Keith nudged Shiro a little so that he turned enough so Keith could more casually look up. 

“Keith, what’s wrong?” 

“I think I see something, or someone, up there.” He didn’t want to start a panic which is why he was trying to confirm the sighting. But his sixth sense that was good at finding trouble was telling him it wasn’t just his overactive mind wishing for something to save him from small talk and court gossip. 

“Where?” Shiro asked. 

“Third one in from the left.” They moved in time with the music and turned a bit more than the dance required so that Shiro could see the balcony in question. He was thankful that Shiro was willing to believe him and didn’t just dismiss what he thought he saw nor panic right away. 

“I think you’re ri-” 

Shiro didn’t get the chance to finish because at that moment several of the windows shattered as lances of fire and ice crashed into the hall, aimed right at the centre of the room where they were dancing. 

And then complete chaos broke out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliff hanger. The last chapter was getting a bit long so I thought it better to break it up into two parts and I might as well enjoy being cruel for once and leaving it there. But don't worry. Most of the last chapter is already written and should be up soon. Though, it may go up slightly outside of the official Sheithlentines posting range so I hope I can be forgiven. This story really got away from me!
> 
> Also, Lotor has arrived. And while he doesn't get a pov section, you can tell he's enjoying himself.


	5. Decision Time!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so it ends. Or perhaps it's just the beginning...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter! Thank you making it this far and I hope you all enjoy the final part of this adventure.

It was by some miracle that the movement Keith caught out of the corner of his eye was just enough warning for him to shove Shiro away from the fire lance coming their way. It hit him almost directly, but he was a fire mage and fire couldn’t hurt him. It did singe his clothes since while they did pick up some latent fire protection from his powers they weren’t nearly as fire proof as the rest of him. 

Attacks were now coming in from the balconies on the upper level and various other places now, too and Keith was thankful to see multiple guards jumping from their posts to either try and deal with the culprits attacking them or try to protect those on the floor. 

Keith was by Shiro’s side in a second, the larger man already crouching and using his wind magic as a type of shield to push any attacks away from him. He grabbed a hold of Keith’s wrist when he got close and he felt wind brush over him as he was pulled to Shiro’s side. 

“Allura, you need to go!” Shiro shouted over the noise of the chaos that had erupted around them. It was a good thing that she was close and that Acxa had good hearing. Keith could see her relaying the message. 

“I’m not leaving. I can help.” 

“We need you to lead everyone to safety. You can protect them and keep them calm,” Shiro said. He was making his way closer to her so she could hear him better. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes. You know what to do,” Shiro said. 

It was clear that he and the princess had formed some sort of contingency plan for the worst case scenario. It was useful, but Keith couldn’t help the small thrum of jealousy he felt at Shiro and her being on some wavelength that Keith wasn’t privy to. He blamed the pre-heat hormones and pushed it aside. This wasn’t the time nor the place for thoughts like that besides he didn’t have a claim on Shiro and even if he did, it was stupid to get upset over state business. 

“You should go with her,” Shiro said. 

It was suddenly obvious why Shiro had risked getting closer to Allura. He had planned on fobbing him off on her. It was sort of sweet that Shiro wanted him kept safe but it was also really annoying. He was trained to fight, even if Shiro didn’t really know that. And he wasn’t some wilting omega and that much Shiro should know. 

“I’ll stay,” He said. 

“You can help more by getting people out of here. If you get hurt right now, there are four strong alphas who will be distracted by it.” 

Keith knew Shiro was right. In normal situations, alphas were overly protective over omegas they considered theirs, be they friends, family, or in the process of courting. In normal circumstances, trained alphas could ignore these instincts but an omega in heat or even pre-heat amped up all of an alpha’s instincts. 

“Fine,” He said. 

He had no plan of leaving the room completely, but after years of fighting with alphas, he knew it was better to let them think they had won and then just do what he wanted anyway instead of wasting time arguing. Besides, what they didn’t know, couldn’t distract them.

By the look Acxa sent his way, she didn’t believe he was going to leave for a moment. But that was fine. She didn’t say anything which meant she thought his help might be needed and that just made him more determined to assist in the fight. 

“Good. I’ll see you soon.” Shiro hesitated a moment before pulling Keith in and pressing his forehead against his, mingling their scents slightly and filling Keith’s lungs with a scent that made him want things he couldn’t have right now. 

“Soon,” Keith repeated feeling a bit dazed by the overpowering presence of alpha. 

Shiro gave him a smile and then nudged him toward Allura before turning to throw himself back into the thick of things. Acxa gave Keith a nod before following in Shiro’s wake, expertly taking down someone foolish enough to get too close. 

Keith looked past her and out across the room and saw a few people already on the ground. He couldn’t tell immediately which side they belonged to. It seemed there was a mix of races fighting on both sides and not a lot to identify who was fighting against peace and who was fighting for it. 

In what seemed the center of the battle and a horrible insecure position was Lotor and Kuro, fighting back to back and holding their own. He could also see Lotor’s generals and Kolivan trying to get to them and he was pretty sure that’s where Shiro, the idiot, was heading, too. It was indefensible and he hoped those loyal to them urged them toward some better cover. 

“Keith, we need to go. They’ll be fine. They’re all well trained,” Allura said, her voice calm despite the chaos and enough of a jarring difference to draw his attention to her. 

“Of course, Princess. Lead the way,” Keith said.

They had several Altean guards with them now and more people seemed to be joining them as they made their way across the room. They also took precious time to collect any civilians that hadn’t made their way to the exit. Allura seemed to have the ability to push calm onto those that were panicking and fortify those who needed it. It wasn’t long before they’d reached the exit that led to a court yard that seemed eerily calm despite the chaos raging inside. 

It was at this point that Keith feigned helping someone so Allura wouldn’t expect him to still be by her side and then when she was occupied helping someone else, he slipped away completely. Some guards and other people noticed, but they didn’t have time to worry about a half Galra brat who couldn’t follow orders. 

He dodged a random ice lance as he dipped into an alcove just inside the ballroom to try and assess just what was happening. It was hard to see given his shorter stature and that frustrated him. But considering where most of the fighting seemed to be concentrated, he assumed that’s where the princes and Lotor were bunched up. He wouldn’t be able to fight his way through there so he looked up at the balconies and where attacks were still coming from. 

The stairs leading up to them were crowded with guards fighting the assailants and Keith didn’t want to think about what had happened to the guards who were supposed to be guarding the upper hall so that people couldn’t access the balconies. They were either dead or had betrayed them and neither were good outcomes. 

Keith also saw mages countering attacks from the balconies and sending up their own but they obviously were at a disadvantage and the numbers on the balconies hadn’t seemed to dwindle much since the attacks had started. 

He wished Kosmo was with him. He could surprise them by teleporting behind them and quickly dispatch them before reinforcements could arrive. It would let him see what was happening on the main floor and give the guards a chance to secure the balconies. 

But Kosmo was up in his rooms on the other side of the palace. Kosmo and him shared a slight psychic bond while touching that allowed them to communicate basic desires, needs, and teleporting locations but it faded rapidly the further apart they were. From across just a room, it was only vague sensations he could pick up from Kosmo or send to him. He didn’t think Kosmo would be able to hear him at all from across the palace. But the commotion of the attack had to have caused enough noise to rouse Kosmo and maybe he was listening out for him and would hear his call. 

It was worth trying out. 

“Kosmo. If you can hear me, I need your help,” Keith whispered, channelling his thoughts toward Kosmo and away from the fight for a moment. 

He didn’t feel anything in response and he couldn’t risk staying still any longer. He had to help people somehow even if it couldn’t be how he wanted. 

Reaching behind him, he pulled his mother’s blade out of the scabbard attached to his back. It was a risk wearing it, but he knew that Shiro’s hands for the Galran dance would be a safe enough distance from it. And it didn’t matter if Lotor had felt it during their dance since he had been the one to deliver Krolia’s present to him and had known of the addition of Krolia’s Blade of Marmora knife being tucked in the folds of the jacket. 

Armed with a blade and his fire powers, Keith was as ready as he’d get. He took a deep breath to focus before rushing out into the fray, pausing only long enough to assess if the Galra heading past him was friend or foe before lashing out and cutting a deep slice across the back of his leg. He went down with a yell. 

Before the Galra could lash out at him, two guards were on him until he was subdued. 

“You need to evacuate. This is no place for you, sir,” One of the guards said. 

Keith flashed his fangs at him in a hiss. He didn’t need to be babied and he’d just proved he could fight. While the guard was still shocked at his display, he turned to dash away and then felt fur brush against his fingers. “Kosmo,” He said, the name more breath than sound.

Suddenly he was on the balcony and he let himself sink into the battle and his training as both a Blade and an almost certified fire mage. He dashed forward and stabbed his knife into an ice mage’s shoulder and then hit him upside the head with the hilt. He went down with a yelp but before others near him could react, Kosmo had teleported him to another balcony. 

They continued their string of ambush attacks, both he and Kosmo aiming to take people down but kill. He was sure he didn’t always succeed, but it wasn’t like his enemies were trying to conserve life and in these situations, he refused to let killing bother him. Hopefully, after tonight, they’d finally have true peace and he wouldn’t need to kill again. 

He had just cleared out enough of the area so the guards on the stairs could start making their way up when the room shook and part of the far wall exploded in. 

He ducked down, grabbing hold of Kosmo and holding him close to protect him from any debris that may fly their way and to also be in contact in case Kosmo thought it best to teleport. “What the hell was that?” Keith asked mostly to himself as he poked his head up over the balcony. 

The ballroom was even more chaotic as people with outfits covered in dust and scratches to their faces bleeding, tried to find their feet after the blast. “Shit,” Keith said as he saw Zethrid slumped against a far wall. Ezor was with her and while she looked worried, she wasn’t in the distress Keith would have expected if Zethrid was dead or dying. 

He tried to find the royals and Kolivan and it took a moment to spot them with the dust and the constant moving of the battle. But then, the dust in front of the destroyed wall cleared and the large outline of a person loomed for a moment before Sendak came into focus. 

Keith could hear himself growl but it was nothing to Lotor’s fierce cry. 

“Sendak! You’re too late! Peace is here and you won’t stop us!” Lotor yelled before dispatching the man he was fighting with to run toward Sendak. One of his lackeys blasted Lotor with wind forcing him to brace his arms in front of himself to try to keep from being blown back. He eventually took a knee and it was only Shiro and Kuro’s quick action that saved Lotor from being sliced in half. 

Kuro’s lightning dropped Lotor’s attacker before he could get within reach and Shiro used his own, far superior by the looks of it, wind to push back against the other mages. 

“You won’t win!” Shiro yelled and the two princes ran in synch toward Lotor. 

“Shit!” Keith cursed again and would have kept watching but the fight on the balcony was resuming, especially with fresh men filing in from the hall, likely from where they were keeping watch to protect the mage’s rear. It was too bad they didn’t plan for a teleporting wolf. 

Keith used Kosmo’s skill to help him take on more of the men attacking and by the time the current balcony he was on was clear, he was panting and sweating through his coat. He tugged it off with a curse and looked out over the room trying to see what was going on.

Acxa went in to take out one of the mages protecting Sendak but was shot in the shoulder with ice. Keith cringed at her yell but before the mage’s attack was even done, Kolivan was there, blade glowing and large, using it to cut the mage’s arm off. 

Before Keith could feel any relief, Sendak reached out to grab Kuro and tossed him with all of his unnatural strength into Kolivan sending them both flying into a wall. 

Lotor and Shiro were currently holding their own, but Keith didn’t think it would last for long with so much of their side fighting others or currently unable to help. Lotor went in close, sparring with Sendak, sword against metal and armoured fists. Lotor slashed across Sendak’s face but Sendak retaliated with a punch that knocked Lotor aside and forced him onto his knees while he shook off the effects. 

That was not good. Keith looked along the balcony at all of the mages still attacking the ballroom and tried to decide which threat was more important for him to handle. And then he saw Sendak grab a hold of Shiro’s clothes and yank him off his feet and Keith saw red. 

His grip on his knife tightened as he let out a growl. He didn’t even startle when the knife glowed and transformed into a longer much more lethal blade. Nothing was going to distract him from his mission. Kill Sendak. 

He called up his fire powers and used them to burn his way through one mage, slashing at another and pushing another over the edge of the balcony without a care. The next mage he encountered, he slashed at and then used as a ramp to vault himself off of the balcony. The rest would have to be left to the guards that were following in his wake. 

As he flew through the air with a war cry, he felt fur brush against his fingers and knew that he and Kosmo were in complete agreement about what had to be done. 

 

-0-0-0-0- 

 

Shiro didn’t fear meeting Sendak again but as he had strode toward them through the still smoking hole in the wall, Shiro felt his body tense. He had shrugged it off with encouraging words from his brother before they had started their attack. But watching Kuro be so easily manhandled by Sendak and thrown away like a rag doll made that unease return. 

He had faced Sendak twice in the war, one time only surviving by some miracle and was not keen to face him again. But he could not allow Sendak to win today, or ever. He would not allow their peace to be destroyed. 

He looked over at Lotor and saw that he was just as determined. Whatever their past with Sendak neither of them would let it get in their way. 

With a barely there nod, they dashed in and started an assault together. He didn’t work quite as in synch with Lotor as he did his brother but they were managing well enough. 

When Lotor went in close, Shiro did his best to cover any openings and protect him from anyone else who may interfere. He wasn’t fast enough to stop Sendak’s attack sending Lotor flying. 

He cursed and hesitated a moment too long about whether to go help Lotor or attack and only just managed to move enough out of the way for Sendak’s attack to unbalance him and not send him flying. He dropped his sword as he awkwardly dodged another fist, but he managed to swing out his own metal fist in retaliation. He hoped to get in a solid hit but Sendak turned enough so it hit his armour with a resounding clang and not anywhere vulnerable. Shiro cursed and before he could regroup he found himself in Sendak’s unyielding grip and being lifted up off his feet. 

“Foolish Prince. Stop this now and I’ll let you and your brother live. You can swear loyalty to the empire and serve me,” Sendak said, his hand still immovable on Shiro’s clothes. 

“Never. Terra is a free kingdom!”

“Isn’t it better to live in peace under Galra rule than be crushed under us like the annoying brats you are?” Sendak asked giving Shiro a shake. 

Shiro shook his head. His people were strong and skilled. They could take on Sendak and his army. They didn’t need to be servile to him. 

“Not even if I throw in the half-breed?” Sendak asked and then laughed at Shiro’s startled reaction that he couldn’t mask. “I can smell him on you. And your courting of him hasn’t exactly been subtle. My spies have kept me well informed. While I don’t see the appeal, I guess he’s Galra enough. I’ll give him to you. He’s ripe for it right now, isn’t he? Lock you two together until you bond and he whelps your kit.” 

Shiro growled at that and tried not to think about how angry and possessive the words made him feel. He needed to concentrate so he could call up the remainder of his energy reserves to try and work up one last wind attack. 

“I can tell you like it. What alpha doesn’t like the chance to breed their omega?” Sendak said, his voice taunting. “Of course, we’ll arrange for one of your kits to marry one of mine. It will cement your allegiance to me and ensure that Terra remains a part of the Galra empire for decades and centuries to come. What do you say, Prince? I think my terms are beyond reasonable.” 

While Shiro did hope to prove himself worthy of having children with Keith one day, there was no way he was going to marry any of them off to anyone at all linked to Sendak. “No!” Shiro yelled and used his wind to push back on Sendak. 

It wasn’t much but it gave him the chance he needed to pry Sendak’s hands loose and free himself. He dropped to the ground hard and he scrambled around to reach for a sword before Sendak could recover. 

“You’ll regret that Prince. And I’ll start with the half-breed you like. I’ll make sure you can see how eager he is to take any alpha I put in front of him before I put you out of your misery,” Sendak said. And then, before he could take a step, a glow grew around Sendak and the next thing Shiro saw was the blade of a glowing sword seemingly moving through Sendak before the large Galra lit up like a summer festival’s bonfire. 

Shiro scrambled back, brain not quite realizing what he was seeing but knowing the heat of the flames engulfing Sendak was too hot for him to handle right now. He moved back toward Lotor, ready to defend the still winded emperor to the best of his ability if necessary. 

But then, the flames faded as quickly as they came and Sendak crumbled into dust before him leaving behind Keith and his glowing blade. 

Keith looked half feral, his clothes torn and bloody, his hair sticking out in places from the jewellery that was only just hanging onto his head and his eyes practically glowing with his mage powers. “He’ll never hurt you again, either of you,” Keith said, staring at both him and Lotor. 

“Keith,” Shiro said, still shocked by his appearance and what he had just witnessed. 

“Sendak is dead! Your leader is no more! Stop fighting and your lives will be spared! Continue and we will show no mercy!” Keith yelled, his voice seemingly echoing across the shocked silence of the ballroom at what had just happened. 

It seemed to cause a ripple effect throughout the room as a new sort of chaos erupted as people either tried to flee or allowed themselves to be taken into custody. 

Keith spared the room one last look before moving to kneel down in front of them. “Are you two okay?” 

“I’ll live. Was all of that necessary?” Lotor asked. He reached out a hand to rest it on Keith’s cheek and Shiro could see the way Keith was practically vibrating under the touch. 

“I was angry,” Keith said. He let the glowing blade in his hand drop to the floor and Shiro watched in amazement as the light dulled and it shifted into a smaller dagger. Something to ask about later when it didn’t seem like Keith was going to fall apart on them. 

Keith reached up his own hand to rest it on Lotor’s and then turned his face to breath in the scent of Lotor’s hand. “He hurt those I cared about. He had to die,” Keith said. 

“I’m not debating that, Keith. And I’m thankful you saved us. Now, let us help you,” Lotor said, his voice the softest that Shiro had ever heard it. 

And Shiro could understand why as he moved a little closer to Keith and reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder. Keith had slipped into full heat somewhere during the fight. The adrenaline, aggression, and probably fear, causing Keith’s heat to come at him hard and fast. 

“I’m okay,” Keith said. Even though it was clear he wasn’t. Still, Keith was proving his stubborn side as he let go of Lotor’s hand and forced himself to his feet. “See… just fine.” 

“Kit,” Kolivan said as he drew near, worry clear in his eyes. Shiro could see cuts all along the ambassador's clothes and some blood staining them, too but it seemed, for the most part, he was well. 

“Keith, are you okay? You’re covered in blood,” Kuro said. He was looking a bit worse for wear than Kolivan but if he could fuss, Shiro figured he’d be just fine. 

“Not mine,” Keith said, his eyes blown wide and seemingly unable to focus on anything. He lifted a hand and poked at a small cut on his arm and then looked at his fingers like he was surprised there was blood on them. “Mostly not mine. I’m fine.” 

“You’re not fine, Kit. You’re in heat.”

“Oh,” Keith said and then made a distressed noise that had Shiro’s nerves vibrating with the desire to do something. He was sure any alpha who heard it felt the same way. It was nearly impossible to resist the urge to help an omega in distress. 

“Come, Kit. Let’s get you cleaned up and into bed,” Kolivan coaxed, holding out a hand. 

Keith made some more small noises as he looked around him. Though Shiro wasn’t sure if he was seeing the remnants of the battle or if his thoughts were even still in the room. But then those eyes locked on Kuro, himself and Lotor and Shiro felt a thrill of excitement hum through him. 

It seemed that even if he was exhausted, his alpha was still ready to answer the challenge if Keith needed him. He would gladly assist Keith and see to his distress.

Shiro could practically feel Kuro and Lotor straighten under the look the same as he did but after a long moment where Shiro could think of nothing but being able to bring Keith back to his own rooms and bathe him and bring him to bed, Keith turned away from them. 

All three of them deflated and for one moment, as Keith moved toward Kolivan, Shiro wanted to growl and challenge Kolivan. But that was ridiculous, Kolivan was not a threat or potential mate. He was Keith’s father in all of the ways that mattered. 

As he watched Keith move into Kolivan’s arms and be easily hoisted up off his feet and held against Kolivan’s chest, Shiro had to keep reminding himself of their familial bonds. 

“That’s it, Keith. Breathe in and relax. I’ve got you,” Kolivan said. He helped guide Keith’s head to his neck so Keith could breathe him in, and after a few deep and greedy breaths from Keith, Shiro could see the tension start to leave Keith’s body. It wasn’t long before Keith’s breathing was evening out and he was nodding off to Kolivan’s scent with Kolivan gently rubbing his back. 

Watching Keith relax and nod off to Kolivan’s scent was what his alpha needed to see to make him fully view Kolivan as an ally and not a threat. Only the alpha scent of a family member would have that calming effect on Keith instead of bringing him further into arousal. 

It was for the best, they were all injured and as the crown prince, he had a lot to oversee. But as he watched Kolivan nod a small farewell to them before heading out of the room, the large wolf trodding along behind him, Shiro couldn’t help but think he would be happy to neglect it all if he was the one carrying Keith off right now. 

“Thoughts back here, Shiro. There will be other heats,” Lotor said. 

Shiro felt himself bristle at being both called out and another alpha mentioning Keith’s heat. 

“Takashi, let it go. We have work to do. And we all need to visit the medic,” Kuro said. The slap on his back between his shoulder blades was friendly but with just enough force to snap him out of the stupor he was in.

Both of them were right. This was not the time to lose his head to instincts. “Alright. Let’s make sure everything is under control here and then we will all be seen by a medic before changing and reconvening for an emergency meeting with Princess Allura,” Shiro said. 

“Agreed. And while I have my own doctor on hand, I would not object if you sent one or two of your trained mage medics to help me and those in my party,” Lotor said, his eyes moving across the room to where his generals were gathered and trying to get the big one to her feet despite the others all having their own visible injuries. 

“Of course. Anything you or your people need. Kuro, I’ll leave you to handle things here and I’ll go inform Princess Allura of our plans and get the medics organized.” 

He waited for Kuro’s nod of agreement before giving a quick goodbye and heading off, trying to project as much strength as possible. He only made it a few steps before he saw Keith’s blade still on the ground. He knelt to pick it up and while he felt Lotor’s eyes on him, the emperor didn’t say anything. Perhaps it was a test to see if he would return it. Either way, Shiro tucked it into his belt and headed out. He needed to clear his head and hopefully the walk to where Allura should be waiting would do just that. 

There was a long night ahead of them all and he didn’t need his focus drifting to the breathtaking omega in heat tucked away in the ambassador’s rooms for it. 

-0-0--0 

Keith was propped up against pillows in his bed that was surrounded by extra blankets that he had liked during his heat but now found too heavy to be layered on him that much. He kept his favourite wrapped tight around him though, as he looked down at the tray across his lap. 

He knew he should eat, he needed the food to help regain his strength but he was feeling too drained to even lift his hand to eat. His heat, having come on so quickly due to less than ideal circumstances had hit him hard. He had planned on it being uncomfortable with only one parent on hand to help soothe him with their scent but he hadn’t been prepared for just how bad it was. 

He had oscillated almost violently between needing Kolivan with him and refusing to let him go to needing him gone and gone now so he could try to handle things on his own. He blamed being confronted by such powerful and strong alphas emitting such overwhelming pheromones directly after a battle for the latter urge. He could normally ignore the worst of his sexual urges or at least handle them with a bit more tact. 

Kolivan was a hero for helping him through his heat as well as he could but Keith was pretty sure neither of them wanted to go through his next heat without Krolia there as well. Or, a part of Keith’s brain was happy to supply, he could maybe go through his next heat without either parent and instead with a nice virile Alpha instead.

He blamed that thought on hormones and the fact that his heat wasn’t fully out of his system yet. Though, he’d thankfully reached the tail end and could survive a few hours without Kolivan at his side or rutting against the sheets while he tried to give himself relief. It might peak one more time in the evening as his heats tended to do but he thought if he could work up the energy to eat, he might even manage a bath and to rest before then. 

He picked up his fork and was just about to spear some beef with it when there was a quiet knock on his door. That was odd. Not the knocking, since nobody wanted to walk in on an omega in heat in a compromised position but the politeness of it. Antok and Kolivan, the two most likely visitors were brisk and loud. 

“Yes?” He called out, curious if maybe it was a staff member sent up by Kolivan to help him tidy the room. 

“Keith… It’s Shiro. I was wondering if I could come in” 

Keith’s ears twitched at the voice and his ass clenched lightly at the thought of the alpha wanting to visit him in his room. Fortunately, he didn’t feel heat rising up and he could still concentrate so he thought it would be okay to invite Shiro in. Besides, he didn’t think Shiro would have made it even this far if Kolivan hadn’t thought he could handle a short visit. 

“Sure,” Keith called. 

There was a pause before the doorknob turned and the door pushed opened to reveal Shiro. He looked splendid and pristine even with a couple of small cuts on his face from the explosion and fight. Seeing him looking so polished and resplendent made Keith cringe slightly. He was in rumpled pyjamas and half cocooned in a blanket and he wasn’t sure when his hair last saw a brush. 

And then he realized he also couldn’t remember when he last aired out his room. Koilvan had tried earlier on in his heat but Keith had felt distressed at it. A combination of the room feeling too open and feeling vulnerable, a normally ridiculous feeling for him, and all of the comforting scent of Koilvan and his own scent being swept away. 

He wanted to hide further under his blanket as he thought about how heavily the room must smell of his heat. Especially when he saw Shiro pause two steps into the room, his eyes wide and clearly forgetting to breathe. 

“Uh… sorry. You can.. Uh… open a window if you want,” Keith said. He both hoped that Shiro didn’t find the smell offensive and that he didn’t find it too appealing. Keith still wasn’t far enough out of his heat to be trusted to make proper decisions if an alpha was intent on seducing him. 

“That might be a good idea. Your father also insisted I leave the door open,” Shiro said, looking a bit bashful as he explained that.

“Yeah. He gets protective when I’m like this,” Keith explained. 

He watched as Shiro carefully navigated around abandoned blankets to the nearest window and opened it up. The sudden gust of air through the room actually felt nice and breathing in the fresh clean scent helped to clear his head a little further. 

“Are you cheating?” He asked as he felt a breeze ruffle his hair. There was no way one small window was that efficient. 

“Perhaps a little. There’s not much of a breeze today.” 

The small breeze moving through the room stopped and Keith watched as Shiro moved closer to the bed. He really did feel far too rumpled for a royal visitor but Shiro didn’t seem to mind so far. 

“So why did you want to visit? I know I can’t be in trouble for once. I haven’t left my room in days.” One good thing about his heat is that it gave him a very valid alibi so he was sure any chaos that was happening wasn’t his fault. 

“No. I’m not here to try and pin trouble on you. If anything, I should be here thanking you for what you did during the gala. But I need to wait since I think Ryou and Emperor Lotor both want to make a spectacle of thanking you for it,” Shiro said. 

Keith groaned and sunk back against his pillows. Of course, Lotor would want to make a spectacle of it. And he wasn’t surprised by Kuro either since he seemed the type who would enjoy Lotor’s more chaotic ideas. 

“Actually, I rather like the idea myself, too. Right now we’re debating what the proper reward is to give to someone who saved two current rulers at the same time.” 

Keith groaned louder and shot Shiro a glare. “Traitor,” He huffed. 

Shiro just grinned. “You really are a hero. We heard about what you did with clearing out the balcony. Stopping those magic attacks likely saved countless lives.” 

“How bad was it?” Keith asked. Not comfortable with the praise, especially when he knew that he hadn’t been able to save everyone. 

“Not as bad as it could have been. It was a well-calculated attack but we were on alert and expecting something. We couldn’t plan for every disaster but Allura and her guards were able to get most of the guests to safety. And being able to finish the fight as quickly as we did mean we were able to save numerous lives,” Shiro said. He looked torn between proud at what they had accomplished and angry and sad over not being able to save everyone. 

Keith knew how he felt. It was like that after every mission and battle no matter how successful, it could always have been better if there was even one injury let alone a death. “We did all we could. It’s not our fault that others wanted to hurt us on an evening of peace,” Keith said. Knowing the words might not mean much but feeling like he had to say something. 

“Thank you. I’ve been trying to convince myself of that but it’s hard when there’s still so much destruction and the infirmaries are still full.” 

“Your people are strong, Shiro. They’ll overcome this.”

“Our people, Keith. Terra runs through your blood, too.” 

Keith nodded and then looked down at his food. He still felt a little shy at his human side being so easily embraced. It was silly and he wondered if it was a holdover from the war when being part human wasn’t seen as a good thing to the average Galra. But with the peace treaty, the perception of Terra being bad would fade and he hoped his shyness over his half-Galra status would, too. 

Shiro cleared and Keith looked back up at him and watched as he reached inside of his coat and pulled out what could only be his mother’s blade wrapped in what looked like a silk handkerchief. “You dropped this after the battle. I cleaned it for you. At least in this form,” Shiro said.

Shiro hesitated a moment before stepping a little closer to Keith’s side and handing him the dagger. Their fingers brushed against each other and Keith sucked in a sharp breath at the contact.

“Thank you,” Keith said. He focused on unwrapping his dagger and then smiled slightly when he saw it was whole and clean. He set it down on the bed beside him and then contemplated his food a bit more. He was pretty sure that Shiro wanted to know about the blade and its transforming properties but Keith honestly wasn’t up to that much talking. He needed another day or two to recover from his heat before he could show the proper enthusiasm for sharing his people’s history or learning more about the fight at the gala. 

The silence between them grew but it wasn’t entirely uncomfortable. There was an expectation to it and Keith looked up at Shiro and tilted his head in question. It was the closest he could bring himself to question Shiro exactly why he was here. Nothing they’d talked about, even his knife, couldn’t have waited another day or two. 

“I know visiting you right now isn’t entirely proper, but I was tired of waiting and your father said it would be okay to visit while you ate,” Shiro said, finally breaking the silence. 

“What couldn’t wait?” Keith asked. He was trying to focus on his food and not the alpha in front of him. Even with the window open, Shiro’s scent was starting to fill the room and reach him. It smelled as enticing as it did the night of the Gala, a unique mixture of that ozone smell before it rains, clove, and something that Keith couldn’t quite place but made him want to sink into. 

“I believe you’re a direct person, so I’ll be direct with this,” Shiro said and then moved so he was sitting just on the very edge of the bed. “You’ve proven yourself to be smart, kind, and more than capable of taking care of yourself. All things I want and need in a partner. So I’d like to request permission to court you.” Any of his nervousness from before was replaced with a seriousness that made Keith’s heart rate spike. He’d never had someone say things like that to him. 

“Isn’t it a bit fast?” He asked.

“I’m not asking for your hand in marriage, yet. I just want to be able to get to know you as a romantic partner and not just as a friend. I’m fine with waiting and having a long courting period.”

Keith didn’t miss that yet and tried not to blush. It might not be a marriage proposal right now but it was surely Shiro’s final goal assuming everything went alright during the courting. The long courting. Which made sense since they still had so much to learn about each other and Shiro had to focus on rebuilding his kingdom from the war before he could focus on weddings. Keith just assumed a wedding for the crown prince would take forever to plan and be ridiculously ostentatious. Something that made Keith pause but only for a moment. For an alpha he loved, he could handle anything to be with them. 

And while he didn’t love Shiro yet, he thought that they could get there. There was already a good deal of attraction and respect after all. 

“Okay,” He said. Glad his voice came out smooth and even. 

“Okay?” Shiro asked. 

“You can court me.” 

Shiro’s face lit up with the biggest smile that Keith had ever seen on him. Keith ’s heart did a flip flop and his dick twitched slightly in his pyjamas and made Keith thankful he was tucked in bed still with a food tray over his lap. 

“You honour me,” Shiro said. And then he stepped in close and slowly, oh so slowly, brushed back some of Keith’s hair from his face, hair that Keith realized probably needed a good wash and not just a brushing, and leaned down to place a soft kiss on his forehead. 

Keith really wanted to lean his head back and press his lips against Shiro’s but he also knew that just this was pushing their control enough for one day. When Keith wasn’t smelling like heat and sex then he’d steal his kiss from Shiro. 

For today, he just stayed still and let his eyes close and gave a small sigh of contentment. When Shiro finally stepped back, he opened his eyes again and gave him a small smile. “Kuro won’t be angry about this, will he?” He didn’t want to come between the brothers. 

“He’ll be disappointed but we had an understanding,” Shiro said. 

“An understanding?” Keith hoped this wasn’t the part he found out that the twins had made a bet about who could court him first or had some weird agreement where they would share omegas. Sort of hot to imagine while in the middle of his heat, a lot less sexy in reality. 

“Yes. If there’s ever anyone we both take an interest in we agree that it’s up to them to set the pace and if they do anything or agree to be courted then we’ll both respect that,” Shiro explained. “We learned long ago that our we have similar tastes when it comes to almost everything and it was a friend’s father who suggested this and that we should always follow it and respect other people’s decisions.” 

“A wise man,” Keith said. He just hoped that Kuro remembered those words and could follow through with them. Agreeing to be respectful and actually being able to were two different things. Especially when emotions and alpha instincts were involved. But Keith didn’t think Kuro would cause trouble for them he loved his brother too much for that. 

“He is. Now, should I worry about Emperor Lotor’s reaction? I’m not sure I’m ready to start a war for you yet so I’m hoping this won’t threaten the peace treaty,” Shiro said. 

“Why would Lotor go to war over this?” Keith asked finding the notion ridiculous. “We’re not like that.” He wondered how many times he’d have to explain that before the princes believed him. Things could have easily turned romantic between him and Lotor but neither of them ever took the steps to move what they had past friendship. 

“He’s very protective of you…” 

“He’s like a big brother to me. The only way he’s going to war over me is if you treat me poorly,” Keith said. And his words were only a joke in the way that Lotor was much more likely to dispatch Shiro directly through an assassination than to start an all-out war if Shiro ever harmed him. 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Shiro said. 

He didn’t seem fully convinced but Keith wasn’t concerned. While he’d never been courted before, he knew that alphas in a new courtship were often on guard over potential threats and took a while to settle into the relationship and trust that no outside source could take away their partner’s devotion to them. It was also a reason why alphas and omegas had courting periods. It let them see if their instincts aligned and that they could handle each other and that everything would settle down to something they enjoyed. Some omegas and alphas just weren’t compatible. 

But Keith had a good feeling about Shiro. 

“I should probably let you eat and get some more rest. Though... perhaps I can visit tomorrow?” Shiro asked. 

Keith thought about how he was feeling now and how he was likely to be doing tomorrow and decided that another day of rest and relaxing in his rooms was likely. And a short visit from Shiro could be a nice distraction from another day spent inside. “I’d like that.” 

“Then until tomorrow,” Shiro said. He reached out and ran his fingers over Keith’s hand and then turned it to brush a thumb over Keith’s wrist that sent a jolt of desire through him. Something that Shiro certainly noticed if the look in his eyes was any indication. Still, Keith had to give him credit for not saying or doing anything about it. With one last brush of his thumb over Keith’s inner wrist, Shiro stepped back and headed to the door with a final look back at him.

Being courted was certainly going to take some time to get used to but Keith couldn’t help smiling when he thought just who was going to be doing the courting. Someone as amazing as Shiro would never have crossed his mind when he thought of a future without war. But as he laid back against his stack of pillows and started in on his food, he realized he couldn’t picture a better start to the quiet peaceful life he had sometimes dreamt of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This exchange fic was a bit of a struggle at first as I’d recently written a modern fantasy AU and have an abo type fic ongoing. So it took me a while to come up with a new story and somehow I ended up on this because when in doubt, indulge in fantasy royalty and magic. I swear it wasn’t such a long slow burn in my mind. But muses have a way of getting carried away. 
> 
> I’m sorry there was no smut in the fic. Keith was much more concerned with making sure peace was guaranteed than he was about bedding some royalty. >.< Silly Keith. 
> 
> Just imagine a happy smut filled post-credits epilogue. Or for the more adventurous, imagine a divergent storyline where instead of going with Kolivan to ride out his heat alone he holds out his arms for Lotor, Shiro and Kuro and demands they all take him to bed together. Whoever manages to breed him, gets to mate him. (And of course, it would have to be Shiro. Especially since it’s his birthday today) 
> 
> I'm not sure if I'll revisit this story anytime soon or at all but if I know people are interested in more then I'm more likely to consider it.

**Author's Note:**

> The story got a little away from me so I'll be posting the remaining chapters over the next week. Thank you for your patience! Especially since the climax is really driving me nuts right now.
> 
>  
> 
> \---
> 
> I love getting comments and kudos or you can drop by my fandom twitter [@sagelysea](https://twitter.com/SagelySea)


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